Two Sides of the Same Coin
by Musicangel913
Summary: Hermione's cultural integration project was a smashing success when it came to Draco Malfoy - how will it fare as an actual Hogwarts class? The adventures of our favorite couple & their friends are far from over! Sequel to "How the Other Half Lives".
1. And So It Begins

**A/N: I'm back! This story is the sequel to "How the Other Half Lives", which is complete & can be found on my profile. **

* * *

"Hermione, if you don't stop that, you're going to wear a hole in the floor – and considering how much these floors have been through, that's saying something." Neville Longbottom had been watching Hermione Granger pace back and forth like a caged animal for probably close to half an hour now, and while it was dreadfully amusing, he'd decided he couldn't, in good conscience, let the poor girl continue for much longer without saying something.

"But I'm _nervous!"_ Hermione whined, turning to face her former housemate, a look of pure terror on her face. _"What_ made me think I could do this, Neville?" She paced a couple more times, then added, "And how are you so bloody _calm?"_ If she was in such a state, surely everyone else should feel the same…shouldn't they? Neville chuckled.

"There's nothing wrong with a bit of nerves," he said good-naturedly. "I was a mess my first day back…but everything falls into place pretty quickly, you'll see." The rational part of Hermione's brain – a fairly large part, mind you – knew Neville's words to be true, but the rest of her wouldn't calm down. She, Hermione Jean Granger, was going to teach at Hogwarts.

Upon her graduation from Hogwarts and Muggle university, Hermione had spent most of her time developing a much-needed change to Hogwarts' curriculum, revamping the outdated – and frankly useless – Muggle Studies class and replacing it with a cross-cultural course. From first year, students would study the ins and outs of both Muggle and Wizarding society, with the ultimate goal of comfortable immersion in either world upon reaching adulthood. The project had stemmed from Hermione's own experiences – aside from Professor McGonagall's introduction to the Wizarding world when she'd delivered Hermione's Hogwarts letter, Hermione had largely been left to figure things out on her own, and in many instances, her ignorance had been blatantly obvious to her peers. In some respects, those who had taunted her and told her she didn't belong were right – she could practice magic with the best of them, but she didn't understand the finer details of Wizarding life, details that her counterparts from magical households had known since birth.

On the flip side, Hermione's pureblooded classmates had been just as ignorant of the Muggle world and how it worked. Hermione thought fondly of Mr. Weasley, who worked with Muggle artifacts for a living and yet still got excited like a child at Christmas over something as simple as a battery, or her best friend Ron, who'd attempted a phone call to Harry over the summer holidays one year with disastrous results. Still others, like Draco Malfoy and his gang, had grown up being taught that Muggle _-borns,_ never mind actual Muggles, were second-rate creatures no better than dirt, and would therefore have never even considered such interactions. Hopefully, Hermione's new class would help erase some of the prejudices as well as teaching everyone something new.

Ah, Draco Malfoy – now _that_ was an interesting story. The blond Slytherin, once the poster child for pureblood supremacy, had actually come to Hermione of his own volition and volunteered to be the test subject for her project. If _he,_ of all people, could successfully pass her lessons, he reasoned, then anyone could. Recent problems with pureblooded couples attempting to have children had hit a little too close to home when his close friends' daughter had died in infancy – it was just the icing on the cake after all that the war had taught him, but the proud young Malfoy had finally come to learn that his parents' teachings were utter rubbish and wanted to do something about it. They'd spent several months immersing Draco in the basics of Muggle life, everything from currency and fashion to holidays and football. He'd even briefly dated one of Hermione's university friends. What neither Draco nor Hermione had expected, however, was the ultimate turn of events – over the course of the project, the two had developed deeper feelings for one another, and though there were a few misunderstandings at first, they'd finally gotten together shortly after the Hogwarts Board of Governors had approved Hermione's proposal. Over a year later, they were still going strong.

If Hermione had thought her emotions all over the place when first sorting everything out with Draco, it was nothing compared to how she felt when Professor McGonagall offered her a teaching job.

 _"Me?" Hermione almost squeaked, staring at the headmistress in disbelief. "You want_ me _to teach the class?"_

 _"Absolutely, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall replied. "You have the vision, the personal investment, and the experience to make this class a success. I will, of course, interview for the position if you decline, but if you choose to apply, who better than you to teach the course you yourself designed?"_

 _Hermione had stood speechless for several long moments before stammering a reply._

 _"Of…of course I'd love to," she said. "I'd just never really thought about it before."_

 _"I had always intended to have you teach it," the older woman replied. "A class like this needs an instructor who intimately understands the subject matter, and you qualify better than anyone."_

 _"And what of the Wizarding side of the curriculum?" Hermione asked with a slight frown. "I grew up in a Muggle household – while I learned plenty once I came to Hogwarts, there is plenty more I couldn't adequately explain."_

 _"Which is why I'd like to make this a co-taught course," Professor McGonagall continued. "Ideally, I feel that a course such as this one needs two instructors, one each from a Muggle and Wizarding background, to give the students as complete a perspective as possible."_

 _"That sounds perfect," Hermione agreed, wondering how she'd been so lucky as to have everything fall into place so beautifully. She was overcome with emotion for a moment before she looked up at her former Head of House, her eyes shining._

 _"Thank you," she said sincerely. "Thank you for everything you've done to make this happen. It almost doesn't feel real." And indeed, the headmistress had been a huge help throughout, ensuring that Hermione was as prepared as she could be and gave the best presentation possible to the board._

 _"It most certainly is real, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall reassured her. She then gave Hermione a rare smile. "And if I may be permitted to say so, I'm most pleased to welcome one of Hogwarts' brightest to her staff."_

 _Hermione blushed bright pink._

And that was how Hermione had come to be pacing the Hogwarts staffroom, her classmate-turned-colleague chuckling at her antics from an armchair near the fire. Neville wasn't a full-fledged professor yet – he was an apprentice for Professor Sprout, who wasn't quite ready to announce her retirement just yet – but he'd been on staff for a few years already, and so wasn't nearly as jumpy as Hermione at the thought of the approaching school year.

"Hermione?" Hermione paused in her pacing to look at Neville once more.

"Yes?"

"Take a deep breath and relax," Neville advised. "You'll be fantastic, I know it. You're not called 'the brightest witch of the age' for nothing."

"Oh, stop," Hermione said, but inside, she felt all warm and fuzzy. She hadn't spent nearly as much time with Neville during her school years as she'd done with Harry or Ron, but Neville was a true friend, and she was glad he was here on staff with her. Neville had a way of keeping calm during even the most tenuous situations – his leadership throughout the Carrows' reign and the Battle of Hogwarts had more than proved that – and Hermione knew that he would definitely be helping her keep her head on straight this year. His advice sounded so much like what she used to tell him before a big exam that she smiled at the bout of nostalgia.

"Ah, see? There's the Hermione we know and love," Neville said fondly. He and Hermione had initially become friendly out of necessity – nobody else wanted to be friends with the outcasts of Gryffindor House – but had quickly discovered they were actually a lot alike in some ways. Hermione had boosted Neville's self-confidence countless times in the past, and he was more than happy to return the favor. Sticking together through thick and thin was what good friends did, and they were each happy to have such a good friend in the other. It definitely made for a positive start to the upcoming year.

"Neville, you're the best," Hermione said, striding across the room to give him a hug.

"Don't let Malfoy hear you say that," Neville replied with a laugh. Hermione snorted.

"I've known you longer – he can deal with it," she said. "Now…" She paused and took a deep breath, her nerves returning. "I believe we have somewhere to be?"

"Indeed we do, Professor Granger." Neville gave a ridiculously exaggerated bow and offered the now laughing Hermione his arm. "Let's get you to your first staff meeting!"

* * *

 **A/N: A little Hermione-Neville friendship to start you off - I do love Neville. (Don't worry guys, there won't be any romance on that front - Dramione will remain intact this time!) Updates will be Wednesdays as usual, & I'll try to update every week like I've done in the past. Hope to see you along for the ride! :)**

 **Sammy**


	2. A Surprise Visit

"And that concludes our agenda for this afternoon," Professor McGonagall finished. "I wish you all the very best for the upcoming year." Hermione's eyes were fixed on the headmistress, the younger witch rapt with attention and still – at least partially – unable to believe that she was a part of this meeting. Her nerves had calmed a lot since she'd first taken her seat at the table, but she was sure they'd flare up again right before her first class. _Even so,_ she reasoned, _I've faced a lot worse – I can handle a bunch of teenagers._

Neville sat to Hermione's left, next to his mentor, Professor Sprout. On Hermione's other side sat Gemma Farley, the young woman Professor McGonagall had chosen to co-teach the new culture class. Hermione didn't know much about her other than that she'd been a Slytherin prefect the year Hermione had started at Hogwarts.

"So, I suppose we're going to be working together, then," Gemma said, rousing Hermione from her thoughts. The other teachers were beginning to depart.

"Um…yes, I suppose we are," Hermione replied, not really sure how to continue with the conversation. For all her intelligence, Hermione had never been great at communicating with other people – it was one of the reasons why she had such a small friend group.

"No need to look worried, Granger," Gemma said amusedly. "I haven't any plans to hex you or anything – Merlin knows you'd best me in seconds if I was stupid enough to do that." She held out her hand. "Name's Gemma, Gemma Farley."

"Hermione Granger." Feeling a little more at ease after Gemma's introduction, Hermione shook the offered hand, studying her new co-worker as she did so. Gemma had an intelligent look about her, with ash blonde hair tied back in a neat ponytail and dark brown eyes framed by stylish black glasses.

"Well, yes, I know who you are – but a pleasure all the same." Gemma paused for a moment, then added, "Fancy having a look at our classroom? We can decide if we need anything and talk about our first lessons." Hermione acquiesced, and the two young women gathered up their things, bid farewell to the few teachers still milling about, and set off.

The Culture Studies classroom was a large room on the first floor, just down the hall from the grand staircase, with plenty of windows and an impressive stone fireplace to keep them warm during the frigid Scottish winters. The desks were standard Hogwarts fare and stacked to one side, waiting for the room's new occupants to arrange them to their liking, and an enormous teacher's desk sat at the front of the room.

"I think this will do very nicely," Hermione commented, nodding approvingly as she waved her wand to remove any last traces of dust. Filch, who was still around but getting on in years, had more than enough to worry about without adding basic classroom maintenance to his list, not when Hermione had magic at her disposal and could therefore accomplish the task in seconds.

"Agreed," Gemma said as she set her folder of notes from the meeting on the teacher's desk. "Have you given any thought as to how you'd like to arrange the desks?"

"Not really," Hermione said with a shrug. "Any number of arrangements would work, I think, but perhaps we might just put them in rows for now?"

"Fine by me." Gemma flicked her wand and the desks sprang to life, hurrying themselves into neat rows as per Hermione's suggestion.

"So, what got you interested in this position, anyway?" Hermione asked as she looked for the best place to store her things. "And what were you doing before you came here?"

"I was working as a file clerk in the Department of Education," Gemma said, choosing to answer the second question first. "Hardly the most interesting of jobs, but I'd always wanted to reconnect with Hogwarts in some way, and I thought that department might be the way to do it. Your petition – which, of course, my whole department heard about quite early on – intrigued me, and when I attended the board meetings, I liked what you had to say. I thought this position would be a good way to get myself into actual teaching while also getting myself involved with your work. Obviously you know I'm not a Muggle-born – Professor McGonagall made it clear in her advertisement that she needed a Wizarding applicant – but my mum's one, and my parents raised my brothers and I to understand both worlds."

"Kind of like families who celebrate two different sets of religious holidays," Hermione said.

"Exactly – rather than choose one or the other, my parents embraced both, honoring the way each of them had grown up. My Wizarding heritage meant I could jump right in when I started Hogwarts – which, as a Slytherin, was especially important – but I also have no problem being in the Muggle world."

"It sounds like Professor McGonagall chose well," Hermione said. "We both have an understanding of both worlds, but you have the more intimate knowledge of a Wizarding home that I lack."

"We'll make a good team," Gemma agreed with a grin. She cocked her head thoughtfully and added, "D'you think the headmistress chose a Gryffindor-Slytherin duo on purpose? It certainly makes a statement, doesn't it?"

"It does," Hermione acknowledged, "but I doubt house affiliation is her first priority when hiring staff. Even so, it'll definitely say something if we manage to pull this off."

"I'm working with the 'Brightest Witch of the Age' – I think we'll be fine," Gemma said with a wink. "And I suppose I can't forget you're making a statement all on your own already, what with rewriting the curriculum, integrating Hogwarts…and of course everybody knows you've made some Snake friends of your own." She raised her eyebrows suggestively, and Hermione rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Wizarding Britain did indeed know about her relationship with Draco – they'd decided it was better to release a small statement on their own terms instead of having people see them out and about together and draw their own ridiculous conclusions. Of course, some people didn't believe them and still made comments under their breath about how Hermione must've been Imperiused or how Draco was only using her to elevate his status, but most people knew better and left well enough alone. Hermione and Draco, for their part, went about their business like any normal couple, as they had every right to do, and Hermione's strict agreement with reporters meant that there were no unwanted flashbulbs or nosy journalists interrupting their time if they did go out together in the Wizarding public.

"Yes, I'm dating Draco Malfoy, Slytherin alum and former poster boy for all things pureblood," Hermione said, her tone suggesting she'd said this exact phrase a thousand times before. "Cue shock, surprise, and any number of other unexpected emotions." She snorted a little and shook her head, a self-deprecating smile creeping onto her face.

"It's surprising, yeah, but I also think it's a really good thing," Gemma said. "No, listen – I remember Draco from when he was at school, and if you'll forgive me for saying so, he was an absolute prat."

"No forgiveness needed," Hermione said with a slight laugh.

"Right, then. He was, as you said, the poster child for pureblood supremacy, spouting off slurs and throwing his name around like it was worth his weight in gold – which, at the time, it unfortunately was. Our time at Hogwarts only overlapped by three years, so I can't speak for anything he did after that, but I've heard the stories about what happened during the war." Hermione nodded – who _hadn't_ heard about the Malfoys' fall from grace? It was common knowledge after the family's trials had been front-page news for weeks the summer after the Battle of Hogwarts.

"I also, as I already told you, attended the board meetings in which you presented your proposal, and as such, I heard Draco's testimony about your program. The Draco I knew from school _never_ would've said such things, not even as part of an elaborate lie, because to him, you wouldn't have been worth the effort. And yet he spoke so passionately, so genuinely about the benefits of your lessons, that I knew without a doubt he'd changed, and in a big way. If you're responsible for any part of that change, then I'd say you seeing one another is a good thing – and even if you're not, you two together still speaks volumes."

"I…thank you," Hermione stammered. Gemma's insights were right on the money, and knowing that a fellow former Slytherin saw how much good the post-war world had done Draco meant a lot.

"I'll stop badgering you about your love life," Gemma promised. "For now, anyway." She grinned in a way that suggested Hermione should expect some bonding time in the future, once they'd gotten to know each other a little better. In spite of her tendency to shy away from all things girl talk, the thought made her happy.

"Another day, then," she said. "Now, what do you say we do a little decorating?"

* * *

As students weren't due to arrive until the following night, Hogwarts' staff were free to do as they pleased in the remaining interim. Hermione and Gemma spent a further hour getting their classroom ready and double-checking their lesson plans for the first few days before bidding each other goodbye and going their separate ways. Hermione was contemplating a walk around the grounds, perhaps with a stop by Hagrid's to say hello, when Neville stopped her on the stairs.

"Hi, Hermione. Everything all ready for your first day of classes?" he asked as he fell into step beside her.

"As ready as it can be, I suppose," she said. "How are the greenhouses?"

"Very well, thanks – the Venomous Tentacula is being a little difficult, but that's nothing new." Hermione laughed a little and nodded her agreement – Venomous Tentaculas were always a bit temperamental.

"Hey, listen – do you fancy a drink down in the village?" Neville asked then. "Obviously we're not required to take all of our meals in the Great Hall, feasts excepted, of course, but we don't get much chance to head into Hogsmeade once term starts." He had a point – the staff had too many other responsibilities to head down to the village more than just once in a while.

"Sure, that sounds great," Hermione agreed at once. "I could definitely go for a butterbeer. Let me just change into something a little more comfortable?" She'd dressed professionally for the meeting, her shoes definitely weren't the type she'd want to walk to Hogsmeade in, and she couldn't be sure they'd have access to the thestral-drawn carriages when said carriages would be in heavy use the very next night.

"Not a problem," Neville said. "Where are your quarters, anyway?" The staff's private quarters were scattered all throughout the castle, usually somewhere close to either their classrooms or, in the case of the Heads of House, the house common rooms.

"Third floor, and there's a shortcut nearby," Hermione told him. While she missed the familiarity of Gryffindor Tower, Hermione was glad that she wouldn't have to walk quite so far to get where she needed to be.

"How fitting," Neville said with a teasing grin. Hermione didn't have to ask him to explain, for she knew exactly what he meant – her quarters were indeed quite close to the library. After a quick shortcut behind a tapestry of unicorn foals, Hermione stopped in front of a large gilded mirror and raised her wand. One non-verbal later, the mirror swung forward to reveal a short passage, flaming torches sending shadows across the stone. At the end of this passage was an exquisite painting of the night sky, the inky canvas smooth as velvet and the stars so realistic they seemed to twinkle.

"Apparently it changes to reflect the current season," Hermione said. "So the constellations I see now will change as we get closer to winter."

"It's beautiful," Neville said truthfully. Hermione spoke her chosen password – 'Crookshanks', in honor of her beloved cat who'd died during curriculum development and whom she missed terribly – and the portrait opened to admit them both.

"Now I can break into your rooms and mess with your stuff," Neville teased as he followed Hermione into her sitting room. Her suite was decorated in soothing shades of blue and brown, the arrangement giving off a welcoming air.

"You'll do no such thing, Neville Longbottom," Hermione scolded lightly, spelling her things away and inviting her friend to sit. "Besides, you don't know the password for the mirror."

"Fine, fine." Neville gave in and sank back into the cushions, nodding approvingly at their comfort level. "I'll just have to find some other way to keep you on your toes, then."

"I'm sure our students will do more than enough of that," Hermione said. "Besides, since when do you channel your inner Weasley twin?" The expression pained her a little, but once Angelina and Lee had set him to rights, George had insisted that none of them tiptoe around when it came to Fred – he'd much rather honor his lost twin's memory by attributing all things prankster to the two of them, especially when it came to Hogwarts. After all, it wasn't just George who had a bit of Everlasting Swamp dedicated to him near the Charms corridor.

"Since I'm a Gryffindor and have to be bold and daring sometimes," Neville joked. "Haven't had any terrifying snakes to decapitate recently."

"You're ridiculous," Hermione said, fondly shaking her head. "I'm going to go change." She retreated to her bedroom and selected her favorite pair of jeans and much more comfortable shoes, redid the braid that had come loose while decorating her classroom, and grabbed a light jacket. Deeming herself satisfied, she rejoined Neville, and the two former Gryffindors began the trek into Hogsmeade, laughing and reminiscing as certain spots triggered memories of their time as students.

"It's good to be back," Hermione said as they exited the main gates of Hogwarts and started down the path to the village. It was a bit of a long walk, but neither minded – it would soon be far too cold to walk, and so they took advantage of the nice weather while they could. In what seemed like no time at all, they were approaching the village of Hogsmeade.

"Three Broomsticks?" Hermione asked, nodding towards the highly popular pub. Neville shook his head.

"I thought we'd go somewhere else," he told her. "There's a great little café around the corner that opened up a year or so ago – don't worry, you'll still get your butterbeer." Hermione nodded her agreement, willing to trust Neville's judgement. It never hurt to try something new, and she wasn't much in the mood for pub fare anyway.

The building Neville escorted her to was a charming little establishment called 'The Dragon and the Unicorn', the restaurant's name spelled out in swirling letters above the awning currently shading a set of outdoor tables. Hermione didn't get much of a chance to examine the rest of it, however, as her keen eyes quickly spotted three people she definitely hadn't been expecting to see.

"Harry!" she cried, hurrying towards the far table and throwing her arms around her best friend. "Draco, Tori! What are you three doing here?" She spoke very fast in her excitement, eliciting a chuckle from Harry.

"We thought we'd celebrate your upcoming first day as a Hogwarts professor," he told her. "Neville here was more than happy to help."

"You knew they were going to be here, didn't you?" Hermione asked, turning to the aforementioned young man. Neville nodded, grinning broadly.

"Course I did," he said. "Couldn't go spoiling the surprise, though, could I?"

"You're too sweet, all of you," Hermione said, smiling warmly as she settled herself into an empty chair next to Draco. The blond scoffed.

"I am _not_ 'sweet', Granger," he said, "and I resent the implication."

"Oh, stop it," Hermione told him. "You know what I meant." She leaned closer and dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. "It's good to see you," she said, more softly this time. Draco allowed a small smile, the kind he reserved only for those he loved most, to grace his features.

"It's good to see you, too."

"And Tori, it's so good to see you as well!" Hermione continued, turning toward the petite witch seated on Draco's other side. Astoria Greengrass smiled widely, revealing sparkly white teeth that would've made Hermione's parents proud.

"Likewise," she said. She crossed her legs and tossed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Draco insisted on reinforcements against 'all the Gryffindor-ness', and I've got the day off, so I was glad to come."

"Do you have to be so annoying, Tori?" Draco asked with a huff. Astoria grinned.

"Oh, you know you love me, Draco," she replied.

"Hmm."

"So, tell us about your day, Hermione," Harry said. "I'm sure you've got everything set up to perfection. And who's your co-teacher again?"

"I'll tell you all about it," Hermione promised. "But first, I'd like to order some food." She picked up the menus situated in the middle of the table and passed them around. "Any recommendations, Neville?"

* * *

Dinner was a highly enjoyable affair, the group remaining at the little café for well over an hour. As Neville had promised, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was warm and very conducive to partaking in a last bit of late summer sun. Hermione did miss seeing Ginny, though – her best girlfriend was in training for a series of upcoming matches and unfortunately hadn't been able to get away. She was sure that Ginny would make up for it soon, as the redhead never passed up a chance for some girl time, but it would've been nice to see her all the same before Hermione's school schedule set in.

Finally, however, the friends conceded that it was time to go.

"I'm on the early shift tomorrow," Astoria said, referring to her work as a Healer at St. Mungo's. "Have to try and get some sleep before then." The tiny witch pushed herself up on her toes to give Hermione a hug. "Lovely to see you as always, Hermione. Do keep us posted on how your first week goes!"

"Thanks, Tori," Hermione said warmly. "I will."

"Knock their socks off, Hermione," Harry said as he stepped up for his own hug. Hermione squeezed him tightly, beyond thrilled that she'd been able to spend this unexpected extra time with her best friend.

"I'll do my best," Hermione promised.

"Which will be more than enough," Harry reassured her, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. "You'll be fantastic and everyone will love you."

"Don't," Hermione whined, though she smiled in spite of it. "You'll jinx it!"

"And what if I prefer a hex?" Harry's cheeky retort earned him a swat to the arm as he laughed loudly.

"Prat."

"Ah, but you love me for it." Hermione's expression softened.

"I do." With one last round of farewells, Hermione waved as Harry and Astoria turned on the spot and Disapparated.

"I trust you can make it back to Hogwarts alright?" Neville asked. He wouldn't outright say so, of course – Malfoy might've warmed up a bit since school, but he was still a prideful young man – but Neville suspected the couple might appreciate some alone time before Draco returned to Wiltshire.

"I'll be back soon," Hermione replied. "Thanks again for organizing this, Neville. You're the best."

"I dunno about that," Neville said with a laugh, "but you're very welcome, Hermione. The occasion was warranted." He hugged Hermione briefly, nodded to Draco, and vanished, his destination the gates of Hogwarts. Hermione turned to Draco.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself," he replied. "So, you're all ready to make your debut tomorrow?"

"Not in the slightest," Hermione laughed. "I'm so nervous!"

"As odd as it sounds coming from me, Potter's right." Draco made a face of mock disgust, causing Hermione to laugh again. "You'll outshine them all just by virtue of being you." He offered one of his endearing half-smiles that Hermione loved so much and continued, "May I escort my lady back to her castle?"

"You may, kind sir," Hermione replied, accepting Draco's proffered hand. He lazily laced their fingers together, and the two began the walk back to Hogwarts, taking their time as they looked at the inviting window displays and simply enjoyed one another's company.

Draco grew quiet as the gates of Hogwarts appeared, the school itself rising up beyond.

"You know, for all I complained about this place as a kid, it really is wonderful," he said as he gazed thoughtfully up at the ancient school. Beside him, Hermione nodded.

"It really is. It was so strange being on the staff side of things today, but being back at Hogwarts…"

"It's like coming home," Draco finished. Hermione couldn't have said it any better herself. She scooted closer to Draco and rested her head against his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around her, the two of them quiet for a moment as they looked up at the castle, its enormous façade just as awe inspiring now as it had been when they'd taken that very first trip across the lake. Its many towers and turrets were streaked pink and orange by the last of the setting sun.

"How's Posey?" Hermione asked, referring to Draco's house elf.

"Knitting up a storm, as usual," Draco chuckled. "She wanted me to ask you if 'Miss Hermione is needing anything for her new rooms'."

"I don't think so," Hermione said, smiling warmly at the thought of the darling little elf. "But if I suddenly do, she'll be the first to know."

"I'm sure she'll have a whole arsenal of blankets and such for you at Christmas, whether you want them or not." Draco was probably right – Posey loved to knit, and as Draco didn't have all that much for her to do by way of chores, she spent a large portion of her time with needles and yarn in hand. Hermione already had a gorgeous fluffy white blanket on her bed, a gift from Posey the first Christmas they'd known one another. The blanket was warm and almost sinfully soft, and Hermione certainly wasn't going to complain if Posey wanted to make more.

"I should probably head back soon," she said, sighing quietly. "Big day tomorrow." Draco turned to face her and chucked her chin upwards so their eyes met.

"You were meant to do this, Hermione," he said quietly. "You've already proven you can change lives with these lessons, and now it's time for you to change the world." A sheen of tears filled Hermione's eyes at the praise – it meant so much coming from Draco, the one whose life she'd already changed. She smiled and nodded, her confidence boosted ten times over, and Draco returned the gesture before he ducked his head and kissed her. Hermione's eyes fluttered shut and a contented little noise escaped her throat as their lips connected, one hand coming up to rest against the side of Draco's neck. For a long moment, there was nothing but the two of them, nothing but the feel of their lips moving in tandem and their bodies pressed together as they embraced under the darkening summer sky. Slowly, gently, so as not to ruin the moment, they broke apart.

"Go get 'em, Granger," Draco said.

"I'll let you know how everything went as soon as I can," Hermione promised.

"I'd expect nothing less. Now, get back up to the school before the doors lock – I doubt Filch lets even the faculty get away with snogging after hours." Hermione burst into laughter.

"I doubt it," she said once she'd regained her composure, though she was still giggling. "He's far more respectful towards the staff, to be sure, but that doesn't mean he still isn't his grumpy old self." She couldn't even imagine such a scolding with a straight face and laughed again. Deciding she might as well take advantage of her so-called 'excuse', Hermione pulled Draco close and kissed him once more, then waved her wand in the intricate pattern required to unlock the front gate.

"I'll see you soon," Draco promised, giving her one last quick kiss.

"Soon," Hermione echoed. She stepped through the gate and locked it, turning back to blow Draco a kiss. Once he'd Disapparated, she turned and hurried up the lawn to Hogwarts. Tomorrow, her new adventure would begin.

* * *

 **A/N: Nice long chapter for you! I made up Gemma Farley's backstory - she was indeed a Slytherin prefect (she gives the Slytherin welcome message on Pottermore), but that's all we know about her. Returning readers might recognize The Dragon and the Unicorn from my twisted canon series.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has already jumped on board with this story through follows, faves, & reviews! I hope you enjoy it as much as its predecessor.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	3. The First Day

September first had been an exciting day for Hermione since she was eleven years old, and this one was no different. In fact, she could argue that it was even more exciting than usual; the years in between her graduation from Hogwarts and now had almost been painful, when September rolled around and nothing special had happened, so even though there was no train ride on her day's schedule, Hermione still felt the thrilling anticipation from her head to her toes. Unable to sleep any later, she was up with the sun and creating a mental to-do list, her habit of over-preparing kicking in as she checked, double-checked, and triple-checked her materials for the next day.

It wasn't long before Hermione realized with dismay that she really had already done everything she could to prepare for her first day. Her bag was packed and ready to go, resting in a convenient, out-of-the-way spot just inside her front door. She'd already chosen her clothes for both the welcoming feast and the start of lessons, the two outfits clean, pressed, and hung neatly in her wardrobe. She and Gemma had finished decorating their classroom. They had at least a vague idea of their lesson plans for the first few weeks, if not longer. It wasn't even midmorning…the students weren't due to arrive for hours…what on earth was she supposed to do?

It was almost ridiculous how difficult it was to occupy the time remaining until the feast, but Hermione managed somehow. She finished organizing her suite, including setting up her fireplace for Floo calls from those select few who merited it. She penned letters to her parents and to her Muggle friends, updating them on how everything was going (surprisingly not having to edit too much for Muggle-friendly content) and promising to write again after her first classes. As there was no Muggle post office nearby, the easiest delivery arrangement was to send all of the letters to either her parents, Harry, or Draco, none of whom would be fazed by owl post and all of whom knew Hermione's Muggle friends and could therefore pass along the appropriate correspondence. Satisfied, Hermione sealed her letters and took them up to the owlery. She had never owned her own owl, but she didn't mind – she'd become particularly friendly with one of the school barn owls over the years, and indeed, as she stepped inside the circular room, the aforementioned bird swooped down to rest on her shoulder, nudging Hermione's hand for treats as she laughed and stroked its soft feathers.

The rest of the afternoon disappeared amidst visits to Hagrid's hut and the library. Hermione couldn't stay long at Hagrid's, as the gamekeeper was preparing for the first-years' journey across the lake, but he was thrilled to see her nonetheless and promised to update her on all the fascinating creatures he'd obtained for his classes that year. Fervently hoping that these 'fascinating creatures' didn't include anything exceptionally dangerous or illegal, Hermione agreed to tea later in the week and headed off for the library.

The library had always been a place of refuge for Hermione during her student years – in her first year, the books didn't judge her for her bossiness or intimidating intelligence like her peers did, and even when she'd gained some friends, the cavernous room still provided her with endless hours of quiet learning and answered many valuable questions. Nicolas Flamel…the basilisk…magical creature cases…Triwizard Tournament preparations, including a number of extremely useful defensive spells…Hermione could've gone on for ages. Even just being in the library was comforting, the smell of old books combining with the leather and wood of the furniture to rival even the most potent Amortentia. It was a hallowed place of learning, one of Hermione's favorites in all of Hogwarts – she even had her own favorite spot, a hidden nook with a little desk and a window that provided a spectacular view of the sunset.

The only downside to the library was Madam Pince. It had always made Hermione sad that the Hogwarts librarian was about as pleasant as Filch – that is to say, not at all. Yes, it was good to want to keep the library materials in good condition so that generations of students might benefit from them, but Madam Pince's intimidating demeanor more often than not kept most people out of the library altogether except in extreme circumstances. Hermione was definitely in the minority in that regard. It really was a shame – there were some hidden gems amongst those shelves, but most people were too concerned with avoiding Madam Pince to find them.

Hermione wandered around the library for almost an hour, aimlessly perusing the shelves and paying a visit to her beloved study corner. She wondered if she might occupy it again some nights, or if another student had laid claim to the space – perhaps it might be too weird to see a faculty member working in the library anyway. She could still borrow books, however, and took her time browsing, not looking for anything in particular but still interested in seeing what the library had to offer. After a while, a grunt from Madam Pince, who was dusting nearby and had been shooting Hermione suspicious glances as if expecting her to suddenly attack every book in sight, Hermione checked her watch and decided it was time to get ready for the feast.

Afterwards, Hermione wished she owned a Pensieve, simply so she could've gone back to review her memories of the night. She remembered flushing with slightly embarrassed pride as the Gryffindor table in particular cheered loudly upon her introduction as a professor, and she remembered her own enthusiastic clapping as each new first-year was Sorted. Beyond that, though, most of the night was a blur. Hermione couldn't have said for the life of her what she'd eaten for dinner, nor what she'd talked about with Gemma and Neville, who sat either side of her. In fact, she was quite shocked when the sudden scraping of benches alerted her to the fact that she hadn't even been aware of Professor McGonagall bidding the school goodnight.

* * *

Hermione honestly couldn't say how she got through that first morning. Her mind was all over the place, and she was amazed that she managed to get herself looking presentable and walk out the door looking like she knew what she was doing. She had her first class during first period – perhaps the lack of any extra waiting time was a good thing, given her nerves – and so after a quick breakfast, she and Gemma purposefully made their way up to their classroom. In what felt like no time at all, the bell had rung, and Hermione could hear the familiar sound of hundreds of feet carrying their owners to their classes. The classroom door opened and the first few students entered, looking nervous – in a weird way, their outward nerves helped ease Hermione's, now that she knew she wasn't the only apprehensive one, and she smiled at the newcomers.

"Welcome," she said. "Please, take a seat." Their first class was a group of second-years, which Hermione thought was rather ideal – they weren't quite so starry-eyed and overwhelmed as the first-years, but they were still young enough to have not gotten _too_ comfortable. Over the next few minutes, the remaining students arrived, and Hermione nodded when she found everyone accounted for.

"Welcome," she repeated, moving forward to stand next to Gemma in front of the teacher's desk. "Welcome to your first culture studies class. My name is Professor Granger." Although she did her best not to show it outwardly, Hermione's insides definitely did a little jig at the word 'professor'.

"And my name is Professor Farley," Gemma added. "We will be co-teaching this class, which, if all goes well, you will have on your timetables from now until your graduation from Hogwarts."

"In this class, we will be learning about both Muggle and Wizarding cultures," Hermione said, "and regardless of your individual backgrounds, I hope each one of you takes something away from this class, whether it's a new skill or just an interesting fact. Now, who can tell me why our class topic is important?" A dark-haired boy in the second row raised his hand, and Hermione nodded his way.

"Tell me your name first, please."

"Jeremy – Jeremy Green, Professor."

"Thank you, Jeremy. And my question?"

"Well, we're all in the Wizarding world, so wouldn't it be good to know about Wizarding culture?"

"Are you asking me, or telling me?" Hermione asked with a smile. Jeremy grinned sheepishly.

"Telling you, Professor."

"Excellent. Always be confident in your answers, Jeremy – that goes for all of you. And yes, you're absolutely right – we're a part of the Wizarding world, so we should know how it works. But what about the other part of it, the Muggle studies part?" She and Gemma surveyed the class. Many of the students looked unsure for a moment before a short blonde girl tentatively raised her hand. Gemma pushed her glasses up her nose and called on the girl.

"My name is Grace Winston," the girl said, "and I think that the Muggle studies part might be important because…well, if we ever interact with Muggles, we should know how to do so without drawing attention to things they take for granted."

"An excellent answer, Miss Winston," Gemma nodded approvingly. "Even if you plan to live firmly in the Wizarding world for the rest of your life, it's still good to have a basic understanding of Muggle culture as well – certainly not as a replacement, if you're originally from a Wizarding family, but as an alternative. You can't guarantee that you'll never interact with a Muggle, so it's best to know a little bit so that you don't stick out like a sore thumb if you do. Our goal is to make sure that no matter which world you'd like to make your way in after Hogwarts, you can do so relatively easily."

"I can see the value in that," spoke up a tall boy to Jeremy Green's left. "My mum's a witch, but my family tends to do things mostly the Muggle way because my dad's a Muggle – even though I've been here for a year now, there's still plenty more I'd like to know about the Wizarding world."

"And vice versa," said a girl with a dark red ponytail. "My parents are both magical, so I know next to nothing about Muggles. We took Muggle transport to Kings Cross because my baby sister doesn't like the Floo or Apparition – Muggle London was kind of scary!"

Hermione smiled as she listened to her students express both their interests and their opinions. After spending so much time guarding secrets during the war, it was refreshing to encounter a group of students who weren't afraid to speak up, to talk openly about things like their heritage. This group had been too young, barely primary school age, during the Second War, and thus hadn't had their views tainted by all the darkness that had come with it. She let them talk for a few more minutes, then called the class to order.

"I think that will be all for today," she told them, noting that the bell was due to ring any minute now. "Next class, we'll dive into our first topic. For homework, please make a list of three things you'd be interested in learning about each culture – they can be as broad or as specific as you like. That will be all." The bell rang then, and the second-years gathered their things, chattering excitedly as they exited the classroom.

"I think that went well," Gemma said. "They seemed interested, at least."

"They did," Hermione agreed. "It's not them I'm worried about, though." There was, in fact, one class that had her more anxious than any of the others combined – the seventh-years. Those students had been first-years during the Carrows' reign, had seen and experienced some truly terrible things, things that no eleven-year-old should ever see in even his worst nightmares. Hermione worried that these students' horrific experiences might taint their views on the benefits of her course, and she wondered if any of them had been hardened against one group or the other. She already knew that the class's numbers were frightfully low – after that first year, only twenty students had come back to continue their magical education at Hogwarts, and with that ridiculous Registration Commission in place, Hermione wasn't sure there were any Muggle-borns in the class at all. There wasn't much time to dwell on the idea, though, as the seventh-years were their very next class. As with the second-years, the older students filed in and took seats, and Hermione and Gemma introduced themselves before Hermione gave her opening spiel. She hadn't yet asked her first question, however, when a student raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr.…?"

"Smith," the boy replied, "Harrison Smith." Hermione wondered if he was related to Zacharias Smith, the Hufflepuff who'd been such a thorn in their side during the D.A. days – this boy had the same pointed features and sneering tone. "Explain to me, Professor, why studying _Muggles_ is important?"

 _Definitely_ related to Zacharias, Hermione thought.

"I was hoping one of you could answer that question, actually," she replied. "Why _is_ it important that we're studying both cultures?"

"I'm really not sure," Harrison Smith answered as he picked at his nails. "I mean, we're in the _Wizarding_ world – why do we have to care about the Muggles?"

"And why should I have to care about the _purebloods_ who killed half my family?" another boy shot towards Smith, giving him a dirty look. "Called us lesser, destroyed us, acted like we were worth _nothing?"_

"Hold it," Gemma cut in, a warning tone in her voice. "You're both treading in dangerous territory here, and I suggest you stop and check your facts before you say anything else." Both boys glared at each other but said nothing, waiting to see what their new professor would do next.

"I understand that you all had some terrible experiences during your first year here – believe me, I do. I obviously wasn't at Hogwarts any longer, but the professional Wizarding world was just as bad. You couldn't trust anyone, not even your own family or friends, for fear that they were actually spies or under the Imperius or just plain not on your side. Deaths were a daily occurrence, people disappeared without a trace, and the repercussions were far too many to name. We're making progress, but we're far from recovered.

"That said, we need to straighten some things out before we go any further." Gemma paused and looked to Hermione, who nodded in silent agreement.

"There were witches and wizards of all backgrounds on _both_ sides," Hermione said. "Just because you were a pureblood didn't make you a Death Eater, and not all Muggle-borns were saints. Voldemort" – here she ignored the flinches at the dead wizard's name – "himself was a half-blood – not many people knew that, of course, as he was always preaching pureblood superiority and playing up his Wizarding heritage, but his father was a Muggle. He grew up in a Muggle orphanage after his mother died giving birth to him, and he grew up despising Muggles because of his poor living conditions. Coming to Hogwarts gave him a sense of purpose, a sense of self-worth, and he exploited that until he had others believing his warped agenda." Hermione paused a moment to let that sink in. It had all been printed in the papers, of course, but then again, most people were skeptical of the _Prophet_ these days.

"Voldemort succeeded because people are afraid of what they don't know – many wizards are ignorant of Muggle culture, and so they feared it. But what might've happened if those wizards had had even a basic understanding of Muggles? They wouldn't have to be experts, of course, but what if they knew just enough to get by, to move about in the Muggle world like any other citizen?

"On the other hand, there are those of us who were raised in Muggle households, or Muggle-leaning ones, for some half-bloods. Are those of us in those categories somehow less worthy of studying magic, just because of how we grew up?" Hermione thought she might be getting a bit preachy, and even if she weren't, her students had definitely heard all this before, so she decided to change tactics.

"Let's look at it another way," she suggested. "May I please have a volunteer?" A girl with a brown bob raised her hand, as did Harrison Smith, which was exactly what she'd wanted.

"Mr. Smith, thank you. Could you please tell me something about each of your classmates?" Harrison looked taken aback.

"Erm…why?" he asked.

"Just humor me," Hermione replied. "One thing about each of them."

"Alright…" Harrison stood so as to see his classmates better, and he went down the back row first, pointing to each of them in turn.

"He's a twin."

"She has a cat."

"She speaks five languages."

"He's a Gryffindor."

"She doesn't like Herbology."

"He's a redhead."

Harrison continued in this vein until he reached the last student – "She plays Quidditch" – and then looked to Hermione expectantly.

"Very good," Hermione said approvingly. "Thank you, Mr. Smith. Now, did the rest of you notice anything interesting about his statements?" She'd called on Harrison and not the brunette girl for a reason, and he'd unintentionally done exactly what she'd wanted him to do. The only question that remained was whether his classmates had picked up on it. The seventh-years looked puzzled for a moment before the brunette raised her hand.

"Christina Miller, Professor," she said. "I noticed that some of his statements were far more generic than others – for instance, he knew the name of Amanda's dog, but he only said 'Gryffindor' for Ben."

"A good start," Hermione said, happy that they were already on the right track. "It's probably safe to say that Harrison knows some of you better than others – I certainly couldn't have given intimate details about all of my Hogwarts classmates, and I'm sure Professor Farley couldn't either." Gemma shook her head.

"Not at all – my closest friends, my housemates, and a few other classmates, sure, but others? Generic statements, absolutely."

"Did any of you notice what Harrison _didn't_ mention?" Hermione asked, giving them a gentle nudge. There wasn't a lot of time left in the class, and she wanted to make her point. Silence reigned as they thought. Then…

"Blood status." All heads turned to the back of the room, where a girl with long blonde curls had suddenly flushed bright pink at all the attention.

"Could you repeat that, please?" Hermione asked kindly.

"Blood status," the girl said, a little louder this time but still rather quiet. "Harrison didn't say anything about blood status."

"Exactly." Hermione nodded appreciatively, causing the blonde girl to smile hesitantly. "When asked to name a fact about each of you, Harrison did so, no doubt saying the first thing that came to mind – which, as we pointed out, was sometimes a generic fact like House affiliation or hair color, but not once did he mention blood status." She leaned back against her desk, resting her palms on the cool surface.

"We're all entitled to our own opinions – I will never tell you otherwise," she said. "But you all saw firsthand what happens when we try to pit one group against another. Perhaps you'll never interact with Muggles, perhaps you'll liaise with the Prime Minister himself – whatever you choose is your choice, and your choice alone. But whatever you choose, the lease I can do is make sure you're prepared. I was thrown into the Wizarding world at the age of eleven with next to no knowledge of how things worked, so I know what it's like to suddenly be in a completely unfamiliar environment – it's a lot to take in, and it's really scary. Professor Farley and I can't tell you which way to go once you've left Hogwarts, but we _can_ prepare you for wherever life may take you."

"I think I understand now, Professor," Christina Miller said. "Having an understanding of both cultures might not solve all our problems, but it might help get rid of some of the prejudices and make our lives a little easier."

"That's our goal," Hermione said, nodding towards the younger girl. "If you leave here with a better understanding of just one thing, that's good enough for me." Deciding they'd done more than enough for one day, she gave them their homework assignment and dismissed them. The seventh-years weren't nearly as chatty as the second-years had been as they left, but some of them looked thoughtful at least, so that was good.

"That was tough," Hermione said once she'd shut the classroom door.

"No kidding," Gemma replied. "But I think we got through to them, at least. That exercise got them thinking, I know that."

"It's a start," Hermione said, moving to gather up her things. "It's a start."

* * *

 **A/N: And so Hermione's survived her first day of teaching - yay! Hopefully the two lessons weren't too boring; the course material won't be a huge focus, I don't think, since we already tackled quite a bit of that in the first installment. In case anyone's curious, all of the students' names are made up.**

 **Thank you to everyone who's given this story some love - follows, faves, reviews, you're the best!**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	4. The Good News

Draco lifted the beaker to eye level, carefully checking that he'd measured out the exact quantity of crushed beetle eyes before nodding in satisfaction and adding the beaker's contents to his cauldron. He lowered the flames and set to rinsing the beaker – the potion wouldn't need his attention again for a few minutes yet.

After years of study and hard work, Draco had finally attained his Potions Mastery not too long after he'd started dating Hermione. His high exam scores hadn't gone unnoticed by St. Mungo's, and he'd landed his dream job of research assistant, in which capacity he worked to improve existing potions and develop new ones. He, along with the rest of St. Mungo's potions team, also brewed potions for both the hospital and for Hogwarts – common medications like Pepper-Up Potion could be purchased en masse from any respectable apothecary, but more specialized brews often required intimate knowledge of difficult ingredients or techniques, knowledge that was beyond most people who hadn't studied the subject extensively. Draco himself was currently working on one of three medications given to those infected with Dragon Pox, the recipe requiring an almost excessive attention to detail and precision. As Draco had spent most of his Potions career studying under Severus Snape, however, the necessary exactness didn't faze him. Snape had never been satisfied with anything less than perfection, and even then he'd always found room for improvement.

Draco's timer beeped, signaling the next step. He added the next two ingredients, stirred clockwise five times, and let it sit for exactly three and a half minutes before adding the final ingredient. Another twelve stirs, this time counterclockwise, and the mixture was complete. Satisfied with the potion's dull orange color, Draco bottled the finished product as instructed and cleaned up his workspace before preparing to start anew.

The biggest perk to being on the research team versus being a Healer was the normal work hours – unlike Astoria, who often worked long shifts at odd times of the day or night, Draco's hours never changed, and he headed home at the end of the work day just like most. Sometimes he would grab drinks with Adrian or Theo, while other nights he'd head straight home, but regardless of his post-work plans, he definitely liked his schedule's predictability. This night, he didn't have any plans, and so after a polite farewell to his fellow researchers, Draco packed up his things and headed home.

"Good evening, Master Draco!" a high-pitched voice chirped as he entered his home. The voice, of course, belonged to Posey, the little house-elf Draco had adopted as his own after her mother, who'd worked for Draco's own mother Narcissa, had died during the Second War. Posey was a bubbly little thing, and though younger Draco wouldn't have been caught dead saying so, present Draco would readily admit that Posey could easily make any day better.

"Hello, Posey," he replied, hanging up his coat. "Is that pasta I smell?"

"Lasagna," Posey said, her huge ears flapping as she nodded her head. "And Posey is making garlic bread and a salad."

"What would I do without you, Posey?" Draco wondered.

"Have not-so-good garlic bread, Posey thinks," Posey said without missing a beat. It was true – Draco was a fairly good cook himself, thanks to cooking's many similarities with Potions, but his first attempt at garlic bread hadn't gone well at all – but he still laughed at the little elf's cheekiness.

"So, did anything exciting happen while I was gone, Posey?" he asked once he'd stopped chuckling. Posey nodded vigorously.

"Posey is taking care of the flower beds like always, and there is being a letter from Miss Hermione!" Posey was practically bouncing on her slipper-sock-covered toes in excitement. "It is being just there" – she pointed to the kitchen table – "and Posey is giving the nice owl a treat for delivering it." There was indeed a letter on the table, addressed to Star Cottage in Hermione's familiar neat handwriting, and Draco flipped over the envelope and broke the seal, extracting the letter within.

 _Dear Draco,_

 _Well, I did it – I made it through my first week of classes! I know we talked briefly after my first day, but I thought an update was in order anyway. After all, a part of me_ still _can't believe that I'm actually a professor!_

 _You already know how the first day went – the other days were much the same. I think the seventh-years are the most skeptical of anyone, and I can't blame them, given their experiences. Obviously I've heard tales of that year from you, Ginny, and a few others who were at Hogwarts, but everyone I've talked to at least had a decent arsenal of spells in their repertoire. I can only imagine how terrible it was for the first-years, just starting out with no way of protecting themselves, and I can see the effects of that year in the way those students approach not just my class, but their Hogwarts lives in general. It's rather sad. On the plus side, though, we had a second session with that group earlier today, and while some of them still aren't sure about the effectiveness of the curriculum, they were at least curious. We introduced some Muggle school equipment today, giving the students the option to use the items if they liked, and you can only imagine their expressions when we showed them how a pen works!_

Draco chuckled, remembering his own first encounter with Muggle writing implements – he'd spent almost ten minutes taking Hermione's pen apart and putting it back together again, completely enraptured by the idea of the small ink tube and the little spring.

 _The other years are slowly warming to the idea, I think, with varying degrees of acceptance. Of course, there are some students who are still unsure about it all, but we've provided them with loads of examples (many from our own experiences) illustrating the benefits of such knowledge, so hopefully they'll all come around soon. We decided to start with the school environment – they are in a school, after all – and have been discussing the similarities and differences between classrooms, subjects, etc. Our classroom is a bit of a mix, which has sparked some interesting conversations. It's quite overwhelming, being a teacher and not really knowing what you're doing, but it's so exciting at the same time._

 _I hope everything's going well at home and that that batch of potions didn't give you too much trouble – I remember your comment about your last ingredient shipment not meeting the expected standards, so I hope everything worked out with that. Give Posey my love, and I hope to see you both soon!_

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

Draco smiled to himself as he finished reading. What on earth he'd done to deserve such a brilliant witch, he'd never know, but he thanked his lucky stars every day that Hermione was in his life. The distance thing was tough, but he knew he'd cross continents for that woman in a heartbeat – she was just that special, and it showed in every heartfelt comment in the letter he still held. She'd worked so hard on this class, and he was glad that it was all finally paying off.

"Hermione sends her love," he told Posey. He then read the letter again, this time aloud so Posey could hear – Posey had many freedoms that plenty of other house-elves didn't, but she still didn't know how to read. She did love hearing all about Hermione's adventures, however, and she listened with rapt attention as Draco read her the latest update.

"Miss Hermione is doing wonderful things," Posey said, nodding her head and sending her ears flapping again. "Miss Hermione is doing these things for Master Draco, and now she is doing them for the children."

"They are indeed wonderful things," Draco agreed. "She's going to change the world, she is."

At that moment, there was a knock on the front door, startling both of them. The list of people who knew where Draco lived was very short indeed, so he was pretty sure it wasn't someone sinister, but all the same, he hadn't been expecting company. Wand in hand just in case, he walked swiftly down the front hall and opened the door.

"Daph?" he asked upon seeing his longtime friend standing on the step with her husband. "Adrian? What are you two doing here? Not that it isn't good to see you, of course…"

"We're so sorry to drop in like this," Adrian replied, "but we've just had the most wonderful news and had to share it with you straight away." Intrigued, Draco opened the door wider to allow his friends to enter. Daphne's eyes were shining with what looked like unshed tears, and Draco wondered what had caused them – after all, Adrian had just said they had _good_ news, did he not? Draco led his friends to the sitting room.

"So what's going on?" he asked once they were all seated. Posey, who'd scurried into the kitchen upon hearing Draco's greeting to his guests, reappeared with a pitcher of lemonade and told Draco that there was plenty of food if Miss Daphne and Mister Adrian would like to stay for dinner.

"Thank you, Posey," Adrian said kindly. "We'll definitely think about it. Now, our news…" He turned to his wife, who was looking like she couldn't contain herself any longer.

"We're going to be parents!" she choked out, the tears finally starting to fall. Draco's eyes widened.

"Really?" he asked, looking to Adrian for confirmation. Adrian nodded.

"We put our names in at a local adoption agency a while ago, and we got a letter today saying that we'd been approved," he said. "We both thought we'd botched the initial interview completely, we were so nervous, but I guess they liked us well enough to give us a chance. We have another meeting with them next week and will hopefully meet the children shortly after that."

"That _is_ wonderful news!" Draco said, genuinely meaning it. "I didn't know you were thinking of adopting."

"We decided not to tell anyone unless we were approved," Adrian explained. "We felt it'd be pushing our luck, and we both want this so much."

Draco nodded in understanding. His friends had been trying for children for years now, and both of them had been heartbroken when their only successful conception had resulted in a stillbirth, along with the news that their chances of _ever_ having a healthy child were slim to none. But now, thanks to the agency, their dream had another chance – thanks to the agency, there was hope.

"I understand why you waited to tell me," he said. "Congratulations."

"We decided not to list a preference for the child's sex or age." Daphne had managed to stop crying now and was able to speak. "The orphanage is home to most of the remaining war orphans, as well as other children, of course, and we want to be able to welcome whichever child connects with us best, regardless of who they are."

"I'm absolutely thrilled for both of you," Draco said. "If anyone deserves to be parents, it's you two – whichever child comes home with you will be very lucky indeed."

"You'll be godfather?" Adrian asked then. Draco jerked his head up.

"Me?" he asked. Daphne nodded.

"You and Theo, of course. You were our first choice initially, when…well." She paused and swallowed heavily; it would always be hard to refer to her lost child, no matter how many others she brought into her life. "We can't think of anyone better. Astoria's already agreed to be godmother." Draco nodded in understanding.

"I'd be honored," he said, feeling rather emotional all of a sudden. The news of the impending adoption was wonderful on its own, and adding the godfather bit on top of that was almost too much.

"I insist you stay for dinner, then," Draco declared. "This calls for a celebration, and unless I'm very much mistaken, I do have champagne.

"Well, I suppose we can't say no to that," Adrian said with a grin. Daphne agreed, and the three friends settled down to toast the good news.

* * *

 **A/N: A little look into Draco's side of things - & some great news for his friends, yay! They deserve their happy ending, no? & who doesn't love a good dose of Posey...**

 **The chapter title is twofold today - I actually wrote a lot more than this today, but because the two parts have nothing to do with one another, I split it up, so you're getting 2 chapters today! Good news indeed. Chapter 5 will be up shortly.**

 **Thanks for all the love! You guys are the best.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, keep an eye out for chapter 5 & R&R that too, & enjoy them both! Haha :)**


	5. Surprise!

Hermione smiled to herself as she walked down Hogwarts' sloping front lawn to a very familiar hut sat on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The slight breeze that kicked up every so often was rather chilly, but she didn't mind. Not only did she love autumn, but she was also on her way to catch up with a very dear friend.

"'Ermione!" Hagrid beamed as he caught sight of her from his place in his garden. "Good ter see yeh!"

"It's wonderful to see you too, Hagrid!" Hermione replied cheerfully. She'd been meaning to catch up with the half-giant since she'd returned to the castle, but the first few weeks had been so busy that she only just now had time to pop down for a visit. As she neared his hut, a series of barks met her ears, and Fang the boarhound came bounding over and immediately smothered her with attention, wagging his tail as she ruffled his ears.

"Hello, Fang!" she cooed. "Such a good boy you are!" Fang wriggled his entire back end in response, sending Hermione into a fit of giggles. She was still laughing as Hagrid brushed the dirt off his front and invited her inside.

"So, how're things going for yeh?" Hagrid asked as he put the kettle on.

"Oh, they're wonderful!" Hermione gushed. "It's all a bit overwhelming, being on the teaching side of things, but being back here is…" She paused, not quite sure what word she needed.

"The bes' thing in the world," Hagrid finished for her, an understanding look in his eyes. Hermione nodded.

"Yes, it really is," she agreed, settling back into her chair with a contented sigh.

"An' while it migh' all be a bit much, we all knew yeh'd go far," Hagrid continued. "Yeh'll have those nerves gone an' be takin' Hogwarts by storm in no time, jus' like yeh always did when yeh were a studen'." Hermione blushed.

"I don't know anything about taking Hogwarts by storm, but I do hope it goes well," she said. "I'll try not to disappoint." Hagrid snorted.

"Yeh couldn' disappoint if yeh tried, 'Ermione," he said, waving his huge hand in a manner suggesting the very idea was ludicrous. The kettle whistled and he removed it from the flame, filling two oversized teacups with the hot water. Hermione politely refused his offering of homemade rock cakes, but Hagrid did have a nice selection of tea on hand, and she busied herself preparing her cup.

"How's Care of Magical Creatures going?" Hermione asked. "Are there many students in your classes this term?"

"A fair number, yeah," Hagrid said. "A bit more in the younger years, coz they're curious, see, an' a small N.E.W.T. class as well." He took a sip of his tea and added, "Although I haven' introduced 'em ter Beaky jus' yet."

Hermione chuckled. She herself had a lengthy history with Buckbeak the hippogriff, stretching all the way back to her own first Care of Magical Creatures class. He'd been hidden at the Order headquarters during the war, but Harry, much to Hagrid's delight, had decided to bring the hippogriff back to Hogwarts once everything had settled down. Buckbeak now lived in the Forbidden Forest with, of all creatures, Firenze the centaur, with whom Buckbeak had formed some sort of inexplicable bond. As Firenze was still a bit of an outcast from his herd thanks to his brief stint as a Divination teacher, the hippogriff's company was odd but welcome.

"Best make sure there aren't any Malfoy-types in your class before you do," she joked. Hagrid chuckled.

"Ah, but he's not so 'Malfoy-type' anymore – more the 'Draco-type', it seems," he said with a knowing smile. Hermione blushed again.

"Draco still has his moments," she said, "but you're right – not so much the 'Malfoy-type'."

"If there ever was summat I never 'spected ter see, it was tha'," Hagrid said. "But if there ever was someone who could change tha' boy…" He nodded sagely. "Yeh've done summat special, 'Ermione, very special, an' though I woulda pushed him away with the longes' pole I could find when yeh were younger, now I'd only push yeh closer. The two of yeh tergether is more'n jus' summat sweet – it's hope, it is. Yeh've always been in a class all yer own, an' this jus' shows it again."

"Oh, Hagrid!" Hermione said, her heart soaring at his kind words. Hagrid had one of the purest hearts of anyone she knew, and if he could forgive Draco for all the horrible things he'd done at school, that was definitely a good sign.

"I speak nothin' but the truth," Hagrid replied. Hermione smiled fondly.

"And _I_ speak nothing but the truth when I say that _you_ are one of the kindest people I know," she said. "Now, since you were so insistent on waxing lyrical about my love life…how's Madame Maxime?" Hagrid turned so red he would've blended right into the decorations of Gryffindor Tower.

"Yer changin' the subject, yeh are!" he protested, but he smiled all the same.

After teasing him good-naturedly about Madame Maxime, whom Hagrid assured her was doing well, they talked of what seemed like an endless array of subjects, each one sliding into the next as they drank their way through several cups of tea. Catching up with Hagrid had always been one of her favorite things to do, and Hermione wasn't surprised to notice that several hours had slipped away without effort.

"I should probably think of heading back up to the school soon," Hermione said almost regretfully as she glanced out at the setting sun. "We do have lessons tomorrow, after all."

"Which I'm sure yer all prepared for already," Hagrid joked. Hermione chuckled.

"I wouldn't be me if I wasn't," she said. She stood and gave Hagrid a warm hug. "Thanks for the tea, Hagrid – it was wonderful to see you."

"O' course," Hagrid said. "But before yeh go…" He turned to his bedside table and picked up a small package. "Happy birthday, 'Ermione."

"Oh, Hagrid, you didn't have to do that!" Hermione protested as she accepted the gift. She hadn't even known Hagrid knew when her birthday was, never mind that he'd gotten her a present! She carefully unwrapped the paper to find a small, leather-bound book – a photo album. She recalled Harry receiving a similar gift from Hagrid at the end of their first year, but instead of family photos, this one was filled with photos of her and her classmates.

"With yer focus on unity, I thought yeh'd migh' like this," Hagrid said. "Wrote ter as many of yer year as I could track down. Yeh'd been Sorted inter different houses, but yeh behaved much the same." And indeed, Hermione was surprised to see that the album wasn't exclusive to Gryffindor, but contained photos of _all_ of her classmates, from all four houses, and stretched throughout their Hogwarts careers, even including a small section at the back for the few of them who'd returned to finish their education post-war. There were pictures of Quidditch matches and chess tournaments, study sessions and parties, and Hagrid was right – no matter who featured in each picture, the subjects were all the same, just a bunch of students enjoying their time in a truly magical place.

"Thank you, Hagrid, I love it," she said sincerely. One of the things she regretted most about her time as a student was not documenting more of it in pictures – she had very few photos of her magical friends, and most of them had been taken by other people, such as the yearly shots of herself, Harry, and Ron that Mr. Weasley always took at the Burrow or Kings Cross. This album was a true treasure.

"Perhaps I might get in touch with my classmates myself, and see if any of them might like a copy," she thought aloud. "If that's alright with you, of course." Hagrid nodded.

"O' course yeh can – it's yer gift, after all."

"Thank you, really." She hugged the gamekeeper again, expressed her regrets that she really did need to go this time, and gave Fang one last pat on the head. Waving goodbye, Hermione began the trek back up to the castle, the precious book wrapped tightly in her arms.

Halfway up the lawn, a silvery mist shot towards her from an upstairs window, quickly materializing into a glowing tabby cat. Hermione stopped walking and watched the Patronus expectantly.

"Miss Granger," the cat said in Professor McGonagall's voice, "please meet me in my office at your earliest convenience. The password is canary creams." The cat flicked its tail once and vanished.

Hermione was intrigued. What did the headmistress wish to meet about? The last bit of the message made her smile – a double tribute to Albus Dumbledore, who'd been known for his dessert-themed passwords, and Fred Weasley, co-creator of many seemingly innocent sweets that had brought chaos to the halls of Hogwarts on plenty of occasions. Knowing even her overactive brain couldn't puzzle this one out without further clues, Hermione hurried up the front steps and made her way to the headmistress' office, speaking the given phrase to the gargoyle and ascending the spiral staircase. The staircase deposited her smoothly on the top landing, and she tapped the knocker against the door.

"Enter."

Hermione did as she was bade and stopped short when she opened the door. She'd been expecting Professor McGonagall, but instead of just the headmistress, the room's occupants also included Neville, Gemma, Harry, Ginny, and Draco.

"Happy birthday, Hermione!" Harry said, beaming at his best friend as she stood there in shock. Hermione was speechless.

"I…oh my goodness!" she finally exclaimed, fully taking in the sight before her. A banner spelling birthday greetings hung from the ceiling, and a cake sat on the headmistress' desk next to a small pile of gifts.

"You didn't really think I'd settle for a mere Floo call, did you, Granger?" Draco drawled as he stepped forward and pulled her close. He dropped a quick kiss on her forehead and gently nudged her towards the group, all of whom were eager for greetings of their own. As Hermione hugged each of her friends in turn, she knew Draco was right – she should've known that the Floo call from Draco and the note from Harry and Ginny she'd gotten that morning weren't the last of it, even if both were rather sweet. Ginny wasted no time in guiding her over to the cake, where she blew out the candles and passed around plates of the scrumptious dessert.

"Thank you all!" Hermione said once she'd finally had a chance to breathe. The party had been totally unexpected, but also very welcome – even though her loved ones were technically only a fireplace away, their busy schedules didn't always allow time for lengthy conversations, and it wasn't the same as seeing one another in person as often as they used to.

"And thank you, Headmistress, for allowing this little party to happen," Hermione added. Professor McGonagall smiled wryly.

"Well, Mr. Potter was rather insistent," she said, giving Harry a look over her glasses. Harry had the decency to blush.

"We'll stick to Hogsmeade next year, Professor," he mumbled, looking very much like a scolded first-year. Hermione couldn't help but snicker a little, and Harry good-naturedly reached over and punched her arm.

"Hey. You can't do that – it's my birthday," she said, purposely sounding as childish as possible. Harry burst out laughing and draped an arm over her shoulder.

"Oh, Hermione," he said fondly. "I do love you, you know that?"

"Potter, your wife is in the room, as am I," Draco said with a snort. Harry rolled his eyes.

"You know she's like my sister, you dolt," he said, though there was no malice behind the statement. Draco nodded in apparent satisfaction.

"Good, because I don't share." He shrugged Harry's arm off Hermione and replaced it with his own.

"Stop being brats, you two," Hermione scolded, tossing Draco's arm off in turn. "I'm a witch, not a piece of meat."

"And she could hex you both to pieces blindfolded with her wand arm tied behind her back," Ginny added, starting to laugh herself.

"You're all ridiculous," Gemma said, shaking her head. "On that note, I'm off to bed. Goodnight all, and happy birthday, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Gemma – I'll see you at breakfast."

Gemma's departure was the beginning of the end where the party was concerned, and soon the others were once again thanking McGonagall for letting them crash her office and leaving as well.

"We have one more present for you," Harry said as Neville bid them goodnight and headed off towards his quarters. "Professor McGonagall had it sent to your rooms for us."

"Another present?" Hermione asked in disbelief. They'd already given her a large assortment of gifts!

"You'll like this one," Harry promised. "Or at least, I hope you will." Interested in spite of herself, Hermione nodded and led the way to the library corridor, where she waved her wand to unlock the mirror, spoke the second password, and allowed her friends into her quarters.

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary – no brightly wrapped package sat on her coffee table or her desk, and she didn't immediately see anything that didn't belong to her. But then, she heard it:

"Mew."

Hermione jumped, not expecting the sound. It came again.

"Mew. Mew." Hermione followed the noise behind her sofa, and when she saw what was there, she gasped. Behind the sofa was a little basket, and in that basket sat a tiny kitten.

"Oh!" she breathed. "Did you…it's mine?" Hermione asked, looking from her friends to the kitten. It stared up at her with wide green eyes.

"She," Harry corrected. "The kitten's a she."

"She's just an ordinary cat," Ginny added. "Crooks was one of a kind, so a part-Kneazle didn't seem right, but…well, we thought maybe you'd like a friend to keep you company." Hermione met her gaze, her eyes filling with tears.

"I love her," she said. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me," Harry said, giving her a soft smile. "It was Draco's idea, after all – he chose her and everything." Hermione turned to the blond, who hadn't said anything since they'd arrived in her rooms.

"You thought of this?" she asked quietly. He nodded.

"Crookshanks was so special to you, I know, but I thought enough time had passed."

"And you picked her out for me?"

"I did. Only the best would do for you, and of course it had to be a female – I couldn't have another male vying for your attention, even if he did have four legs and fur." Hermione rushed forward and threw her arms around him – it caught him by surprise at first, but he quickly settled into the embrace.

"I love you," she whispered. "This means so much."

"Love you too, Granger," he whispered back. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her, ignoring Ginny's muffled squeal and Harry's pointed staring at a most decidedly uninteresting patch of wall that just so happened to be in the opposite direction. Hermione chuckled softly at her best friend's expression as she and Draco broke apart. She then turned back towards the kitten. Crouching down slowly so as not to overwhelm her, Hermione held out her hand.

"Hello, little one," she said. "I'm Hermione." The kitten moved forward and nudged Hermione's fingertips with her nose, darted out her little pink tongue to taste one, and nuzzled Hermione's hand, a soft purr beginning in the back of her throat. Encouraged, Hermione gently picked her up, and when the kitten didn't protest, she cuddled her new friend close.

"Now I just have to find the perfect name," she said, smiling happily at each of the three people standing in front of her.

"I'm sure you'll have one in no time," Draco said. "You are Hermione Granger, after all." Hermione giggled and set the kitten back in her basket.

"We should probably let you get to bed," Harry said then. "I know you have classes in the morning and all that." He stepped forward and hugged her.

"Happy birthday, Hermione," he said quietly. "Love you."

"And I you," Hermione replied, squeezing him once more. She hugged Ginny, and then turned to Draco once more.

"Thank you," she said softly, embracing him one last time. "Today has been so unbelievably special." Harry and Ginny nodded their goodbyes and left via the painting, leaving Draco and Hermione alone.

"You deserve nothing less," Draco responded, his voice just as low. Yes, they were alone, but his words were still just for her.

"I'll write soon," she promised.

"You better – Posey lives for your letters."

"And she's the only one who does?" Hermione asked, giving him a knowing look.

"Of course not, Granger. You know that." The two were quiet for a moment before their lips met in a kiss, which quickly went from chaste to far more passionate once they realized they were alone with no chance of interruption. By the time they broke the kiss, they'd somehow migrated from standing by the door to sprawled on the couch, Draco hovering over Hermione with a hand in her hair and Hermione grasping for his shirt buttons. Hermione was a bit embarrassed at the audible whimper that escaped her when they separated.

"Granger," Draco said, his breathing heavy, "as much as I want to snog you until we forget our own names, I don't think that excuse works if you sleep late as a teacher." Hermione pouted.

"Why do you have to be right?" she asked. Draco chuckled and slowly sat up, chucking her chin on the way.

"Because you know perfectly well that if we did what we wanted right now instead of what we should, you'd regret it in the morning," he said. Hermione knew exactly what he wanted, because it was what she wanted, too – far more snogging, and far less clothing. It wasn't like they hadn't done anything of the sort before – they were two adults in a healthy relationship, after all – but now that Hermione was at Hogwarts, it had been a while since they'd done _anything_ beyond a couple quick pecks.

"I would," she said with a sigh. "Certainly not in the moment, but I would when confronted with teenagers on too little sleep."

"I'll make it up to you soon," he promised, giving her a mischievous wink. "For now, though, Star Cottage calls, and you know how Posey gets when I'm not home when I say I'll be." Hermione laughed. Posey might be tiny, but she definitely had an unforgettable personality to make up for it.

"Say hi to her for me, please," she requested. Draco promised that he would, and after one last kiss, a kiss that _almost_ had Hermione going back on her decision to go to bed, Draco headed for home, leaving Hermione to reflect on what a wonderful birthday she'd just had.

* * *

 **A/N: As promised, chapter 5! In which we get to see Hagrid, Draco is a bit of a brat, Harry is adorably awkward, & Hermione has a great birthday. lol**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	6. The Halloween Festival

The rest of September flew by and quickly made way for October, which brought with it all the bright colors of autumn and a crispness to the air. Hermione sat in her suite, working on plans for the Halloween festival she and Gemma were organizing for the end of the month. They'd gone over the basics when they'd first had the idea, and they'd split up the task list so that each of them was responsible for certain aspects of the festival. It was already proving to be a lot of work, and Hermione had never been a huge fan of Halloween to begin with, but letting her own personal biases influence how good of a celebration she planned wouldn't be fair to the students. At least the planning stages were going smoothly, she thought, and there was still some time yet until she'd meet with Gemma to put it all together.

 _Thump._

Hermione looked down and smiled.

"Oh, do you want to play?" Her kitten was sitting next to her chair, a bouncy ball between her paws. She cocked her head to one side, her expression hopeful.

"You're too cute for your own good, you know that?" Hermione murmured, leaning forward to pick up the ball. She tossed it back and forth between her hands a few times before throwing it across the room, laughing as the kitten raced after it. The kitten batted the ball across the floor, chased it again, then picked it up in her teeth and brought it back to Hermione.

"Such a clever kitty," Hermione cooed, throwing the ball again. The planning really did need to get done, but a few minutes of playtime wouldn't hurt.

After much deliberation, Hermione had decided to call her new pet Artemis, after the Greek goddess of the moon and the hunt. This latter connection seemed especially fitting, as the kitten loved nothing more than to stalk things, everything from her own shadow to a lone fly that had somehow found its way into Hermione's rooms. Artemis was a feisty little thing, full of energy, and when she wasn't snoozing in a patch of sunshine, she made Hermione laugh with all the silly things she did with her toys. She was also absolutely adorable, with long, silky fur in a tuxedo pattern, complete with white mittens, and of course those big green eyes that Hermione just couldn't say no to. As Artemis returned the ball once more and flopped onto her back for a tummy rub, Hermione smiled at the thing she thought funniest of all – Draco had picked a cat with the exact same colorings as Harry. The irony was rather amusing.

After indulging Artemis for a little while longer, Hermione acknowledged that she should probably get back to work. She scooped up Artemis for a quick hug, deposited the kitten into her basket, and once she'd confirmed that her pet was content, she returned her attention to her parchment. On the top sheet was a list of everything she and Gemma wanted to include in their celebration. It was to be a combination of Wizarding and Muggle pastimes, and just like their regular lessons, they wanted to refrain from labeling one culture as 'better' than the other. As always, their goal was to make the students aware of how both groups did things as objectively as possible, leaving the students to form their own opinions on what they liked or didn't. This practice seemed to be working alright in lessons so far, with most students asking clarification questions at the very least, and Hermione hoped those efforts would pay off here as well.

In the case of the Halloween celebration, Hermione and Gemma had decided not to mess with tradition. The Halloween feast had always been a big deal, with the house-elves pulling out all the stops, Hagrid's famous pumpkins, and various forms of spooky entertainment. They had decided to keep all of those things, as well as the rest of the usual decorations. After all, why mess with something they already knew worked well?

The big changes would come after dinner. Instead of returning to their common rooms, students would have the chance to partake in a number of different Halloween-related activities, most of which would be stationed in the Great Hall. The Hogwarts ghosts were going to tell scary stories, and Hagrid was hard at work on a huge patch of pumpkins for a carving contest. There would be a dessert table offering popular Muggle and magical sweets, and Hermione and Gemma hoped many of the partygoers would come in costume. As she checked her list again to figure out what needed to come next, Hermione crossed her fingers that the festival would go smoothly. Almost all of her Halloween nights as a Hogwarts student had ended horribly – the troll in first year, Mrs. Norris' petrification in second, the attack on the Fat Lady in third, Harry being chosen as a champion in fourth…Hermione shivered at the mere mention of Halloween, so accustomed was she to things going wrong on the day. She fervently hoped that this Halloween would not follow the usual pattern.

* * *

The days remaining until Halloween continued to pass far too quickly for Hermione's liking. She and Gemma were kept busy with their preparations, their desire to succeed augmented by their students' interest in and curiosity about the upcoming event. At the moment, their fourth-year class was full of questions about costumes, which Gemma had just finished introducing.

"Dressing up for Halloween doesn't really involve placating – or hiding from – the souls of the dead anymore like it did in the old festivals, but the custom still holds strong," Gemma said.

"And what sorts of costumes do people wear?" asked one girl.

"Anything they'd like, really," Gemma replied. "More 'traditional' Halloween costumes are things like Muggles' interpretations of ghosts, goblins, or witches, but the only real limit to a costume is the wearer's imagination. Princesses and superheroes are popular choices for younger children, while older ones might choose a favorite book or film character."

"Have you ever worn a Halloween costume?" another student wanted to know.

"Many," Gemma said. "Not so much at Hogwarts, as it's not a Wizarding custom, but before I came here, my brothers and I dressed up every year." To illustrate her point, Gemma grabbed a small stack of photos from her desk and passed them around. The photos featured the three Farley siblings in their Halloween costumes for every year until the eldest had gone to Hogwarts – in Hermione's personal favorite, Gemma was dressed as a movie star in a long gown, enormous sunglasses with sparkly pink plastic frames, and an equally pink feather boa that threatened to envelop her entire torso. One of Gemma's brothers had gone as a firefighter, and the youngest, just a toddler at the time, looked utterly adorable in his fuzzy lion suit. Hermione added a few of her own photos to the mix, and the class spent a few minutes chuckling over the photos as they were passed around.

"Professor Farley is right in saying that there are no limits to the possibilities for a good costume," Hermione said as the last photos made their way back to the front of the room. "However, please keep in mind the guidelines we have put in place – we won't tolerate abuse of the few restrictions we've given you." While the two professors hadn't put many constraints on costume choices, they'd made it clear that costumes could not involve live animals or anything harmful, nor could they be insensitive or inappropriate. The last thing they needed was someone showing up dressed as a Death Eater.

"Aren't we a little old for playing dress-up?" one boy asked with a little sniff.

"Not at all," Gemma countered. "At least, not when it comes to Halloween, anyway. Trick-or-treating – that's the door-to-door tradition we talked about last time – tends to be more for children and younger teenagers, but older teens and young adults frequently attend Halloween parties or similar gatherings, and they usually do so in costume. Remember, we're not requiring you to dress up for our celebration if you don't want to, but it is quite a bit of fun." After a few more questions about the festival, Hermione and Gemma continued with their lesson for the day.

* * *

In what seemed like no time at all, it was the end of October. Halloween fell on a Sunday, which meant that Gemma and Hermione had plenty of time during the day to make sure everything was perfect for the evening's festivities. They were currently in the Great Hall, putting the finishing touches on the decorations. Hagrid, as usual, had provided the enormous pumpkins that decorated the four corners of the room, each of which depicted a truly spectacular carving of one of the four house mascots. Dozens of smaller pumpkins sat by the station designated for the carving competition, which would be judged by the staff. Partygoers could bob for apples or play the classic 'race to mummify a person with toilet paper' game, and there were bowls filled with a variety of delectable sweets scattered throughout the room. The Hogwarts ghosts would perform one of their hit formation gliding shows during dinner, then retreat to a large classroom across the hall for the scary stories. Another classroom featured a haunted house – that one had been particularly difficult to create, Hermione thought – and there was a corn maze on the front lawn with hayrides around the darkened grounds. More observant students might notice the additional small candy bowls stationed throughout the castle's lower floors in an imitation of trick-or-treat, and there were several costume-related prizes up for grabs in addition to those for the pumpkin carving contest.

"Damn," Gemma whistled as she finished draping a set of black and orange streamers over the Great Hall's doors. "This place looks good!"

"It certainly does," Hermione agreed. The aforementioned streamers decorated the walls and crisscrossed the ceiling, intermixed with imitation cobwebs, spiders, and skeletons, and creepy things in jars floated around the edges of the room – Hermione had gotten that particular inspiration from Harry's description of the late Severus Snape's office, and it hadn't been hard at all to replicate. As neither of the young women had ever liked the clusters of live bats, they'd replaced the creatures – and the floating candles – with a different type of candle, this one with deep purple flames, and the shadowy effect was more than satisfactorily spooky. The Great Hall always looked great during festive celebrations, but Hermione and Gemma both agreed that this went beyond anything they'd ever seen during their own Hogwarts days.

"All we can do now is wait and see what happens," Hermione said then. Gemma nodded in agreement, and they hurried upstairs to get dressed in their costumes – Hermione was going as a Greek goddess, having taken inspiration from her kitten's name, and Gemma was dressing as a dragon tamer.

Several hours later, Hermione stood near the teachers' table in the Great Hall, feeling exhausted. The festival had been going strong for a while now, and aside from a minor malfunction with the haunted house (which was easily fixed with charms), everything had gone smoothly. Many students had come up to Hermione and Gemma throughout the course of the night and expressed their interest in the different activities on offer, and a few sixth-years liked the Muggle candies so much that they wanted to know where they could buy more. The ghost stories were truly chilling, and several groups of friends had had a good laugh while trying to mummify one another.

Far better than they could've hoped, an overwhelming majority of the attendees had come in costume. As the organizers of the festival, Hermione and Gemma had of course dressed up, but they were pleasantly surprised to discover several of their coworkers had dressed for the occasion as well. Neville had come as a farmer, both young women giggling a little at the perfectly ordinary Muggle seeds he had in his overalls pockets, the flowers a sharp contrast to the unpredictable and often dangerous plants he usually worked with. Professor Flitwick, never one to turn down a bit of fun, had dressed as a unicorn, much to everyone's amusement, and Professor McGonagall had brought out her full Scottish regalia. The students, as well, had gone all out, their costumes ranging from Quidditch players and Muggle pop stars to cats and phoenixes. There were so many creative ideas that the faculty members in charge of judging the costume contest had had quite a job of it. Ultimately, the top individual prize went to a third-year dressed as a fire crab, her glittering shell complete with imitation fire shooting out the back end, and the group prize went to a quartet dressed as the founders of Hogwarts.

Likewise, the pumpkin carving competition was equally tough to judge – Hermione thought they might want to look into offering more artistic opportunities at Hogwarts, as many of the students had proven themselves quite talented. The pumpkins sat in a row along the far side of the Great Hall so that everyone could enjoy them, and the carvings were extremely well done and just as varied as the students' costume choices. The winning pumpkin, designed by a fifth-year Ravenclaw, featured a wolf standing on a rock, its head thrown back as it howled at the moon. The premise was a bit simple compared to some of the other designs, but the detail was exquisite, the candlelight from within making the wolf's fur look real, and the judges all agreed that the award was well deserved.

"May I have your attention, please?" Professor McGonagall stood in the center of the teachers' platform, her voice magnified to reach everyone in the large room. Hermione suspected the headmistress had extended the charm to reach the students outside as well.

"It is now ten minutes until midnight, at which time all students will be expected to return to their common rooms for the night. I am very pleased with how you have all conducted yourselves this evening, and we hope you enjoyed the festivities."

"Thank you very much for coming, and Happy Halloween!" Hermione and Gemma added. "We look forward to hearing your feedback in class this week. Goodnight, everyone!"

As Professor McGonagall had announced, the castle bells began to toll the midnight hour just a few minutes later, and the staff busied themselves making sure that any remaining students were making their way to their beds. It was very late indeed by the time everything had been cleaned up and Hermione had returned to her rooms, but nevertheless, she was happy. For once, she'd actually had an enjoyable Halloween, and she hoped that tonight's festival was a good indicator of more successes to come.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so sorry, everyone. I really don't have a good excuse for why this chapter is so late - I just wasn't in the mood to write it, unfortunately, & if you also write, you know you can't force it. My muse just wasn't there for a bit. Finally got it done, but it's still not my favorite thing in the world. Next chapter will hopefully come much easier - & on time!**

 **Thank you all for your support of this story, in any form! It makes my day when I see a new follow, fave, or review.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	7. A Dream Come True

**A/N: Just a quick reminder that I posted a chapter on an off day ( & rather late), so if you haven't read about the Halloween celebration, pop back to chapter 6 before continuing here. Thanks! :)**

* * *

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Of course you can." Adrian Pucey paused halfway up the orphanage's front walk and turned to look at his wife. "We've done this plenty of times before."

"Yes, but…this time is different." Daphne was staring at the building with extreme trepidation, and she looked as if one more step might make her sick.

"Daph, what's going on?" Adrian faced his wife fully, clasping her hands in his. "What's wrong?" Daphne's lower lip trembled.

"What if they don't like us?" she all but whispered.

"Oh, sweetheart…" A few traitorous tears slipped down Daphne's cheeks, and Adrian released her hands to brush the droplets gently away with his fingers. Keeping his hands on her face, he continued, "No one wants to be a mum more than you do – _no one._ You have nothing to worry about – the children will love you."

"But what if-"

 _"No,_ Daphne. No doubts. We've already been approved, all the paperwork has gone through – we're halfway to our dream, love. We're going to meet these children, get to know them, and though it might take some time, we'll find the right match for us. I know we will." Adrian leaned forward and kissed his wife softly, then released her face and took her hand in his once more. Daphne still looked a little unsure, but she squeezed her husband's hand and recommenced the walk up the short drive. Adrian rang the bell, and it wasn't long before a smiling blonde answered.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pucey! Do come in."

"Please, Grace, as we've told you before, no need for the formalities," Daphne answered warmly. "We're just Daphne and Adrian." She'd had many lovely conversations with Grace, who worked at the orphanage, over the course of their visits there.

"My apologies," Grace said cheerily. "I'm sure you'll have to remind me at least once more. Come, I'll bring you to the office." She escorted the couple to the first room on the right, the door of which was open, and knocked on the frame to get the occupant's attention.

"The Puceys are here, Jessica!" Grace announced.

"Ah yes, please come in!" Adrian and Daphne stepped into the office, a room they'd come to know quite well, and greeted the woman behind the desk. Jessica Day, the orphanage director, was roughly ten years their senior and a warm, welcoming individual – she'd made them feel right at home on their very first trip to the orphanage, and that feeling had been just as strong with each subsequent visit. Her dark hair was pulled back into a smart ponytail, and a pair of glasses sat perched on her nose.

"Welcome back," Jessica said with a smile as her visitors took seats. "How are you feeling today?"

"Extremely nervous," Daphne admitted. Adrian squeezed her hand again.

"That's completely understandable, given what you're doing," Jessica said. "But you have nothing to worry about, Daphne – you're ready for this."

"Told you so," Adrian said quietly. Daphne rolled her eyes but smiled all the same.

"As we've already established, your paperwork has all been completed and approved," Jessica continued as she straightened the file containing the Puceys' application and associated materials. "All that's left is to make your connection. You declined to specify any preference with regards to age, sex, race, et cetera, which means you have that many more chances to find your perfect match. Now, before we begin, do you have any questions?" Daphne and Adrian both answered in the negative, so Jessica said, "Very well, then. If you'll follow me, I think it's time you met the children."

As the Puceys had seen before on previous visits, the orphanage was a bright, cheery place, quite the opposite of the dreary stereotypes associated with such an establishment. It was homey and clean, and though there was nothing exceptionally extravagant, the children who lived there wanted for nothing thanks to generous donations from the orphanage's patrons. Harry Potter himself had given a great deal to the orphanage, as he firmly believed that every child deserved a chance at a good life, a family, and unconditional love. He, of course, had had a miserable childhood thanks to the Dursleys, and he knew of too many others who'd had it even worse – Remus Lupin, who had never been fully accepted until he'd met the Marauders at Hogwarts; Severus Snape, who'd had an abusive father; and Voldemort himself, who'd never known what real love was like. So many things could've been different if even one of those individuals had known love, and Harry wanted to do his part to make sure that these children did too. Most of the children in the orphanage also came from less than ideal situations – parents killed or captured during or in the aftermath of the Second War, abandonment due to their magical (or Squib) status, etc. – and those who ran the orphanage were determined to make the children's lives better in any way they could.

There were roughly twenty children at the orphanage, and as it was a nice day, all except the very youngest were outside playing. The sprawling backyard featured plenty of things to keep young children occupied, including a play structure, sandbox, swing set, and a large climbing tree. Two boys were kicking a football back and forth, and a little girl squealed happily as she chased a butterfly. Though nervous, Daphne felt her heart melt a little at the sight of the children, and she hoped with all her heart that one of them might be their perfect match.

"That's Annabelle," Jessica said, bringing Daphne out of her thoughts. "The butterflies have always been her favorite. Jack and Riley are playing football, and that's Polly in the tree." Daphne looked and saw a girl she'd missed before, tucked between the climbing tree's branches with what looked like a book in her hands and the end of a long braid twirled around her fingers. Jessica continued to point out the children as the three adults made a circuit of the lawn, sharing little tidbits about each child as she did so.

"And them?" Adrian asked. He nodded towards a picnic table, where sat two children whom Daphne had previously missed. They were sharing a picture book.

"Ah, yes," Jessica said. "That's Henry and Elliana – Ellie, we call her. They're twins – our only set of siblings." As they moved closer to that part of the yard, Adrian and Daphne could see that the two children did look very much alike, with the same dark blond hair and similar facial features.

"He shoots…he scores!" One of the boys playing football – Jack, Daphne thought – jumped up and down in excitement as the ball crossed what must've been the goal line, his friend joining his victory celebration as well just for the fun of it. Daphne smiled at the boys' exuberance, and Adrian paused to retrieve the ball and kick it back.

"Thank you, mister!" one of the boys called as they both rushed back to their game.

"They're sweet," Daphne said. Jessica smiled.

"They all are. Feel free to spend some time with them, get to know them a little."

And so while Jessica headed back inside for a bit to take care of some business, Adrian and Daphne stayed outside and watched the children play. At first, they were a bit unsure of what to do, not wanting the children to think them intruding, but then a little girl came up and boldly asked Adrian if he'd like to see her sandcastle, and thus the ice was broken. The two adults made circuits of the yard once more, this time stopping to talk to some of the children. Adrian obligingly kicked the football with the two eager boys for a few minutes, and Daphne talked to Polly, the girl in the tree, about the book she was reading, which Daphne herself had never read. The story sounded fascinating, and Daphne warmly thanked Polly for sharing before letting her return to her reading. Daphne then made her way to the picnic table.

"Hello," she said quietly so as not to startle the twins. "What are you reading?" The twins looked up in surprise, having not expected Daphne's arrival, and Daphne saw that their eyes were a bright shade of light blue. The little boy – Henry – held up the book to show her, and Daphne smiled when she saw the cover.

"Oh, Dewey the Dragon!" she exclaimed. "This was one of my favorite books when I was your age!" She paused to look at the children again. Neither of them had yet spoken – Daphne suspected they were a little shy – but they both looked at least mildly intrigued by her declaration.

"Would you like me to read it to you?" Daphne asked. Ellie nodded once, her curly ponytail bouncing, and Henry said, "Yes, please" in a soft voice. He carefully held out the book, clutched tightly in both chubby hands, and Daphne accepted it.

"Wonderful," Daphne said. "Thank you." She sat on the bench next to Henry, and making sure both children could see the pictures, she began to read.

"Once upon a time, high up in the mountains, there lived a dragon named Dewey…"

A little while later, Adrian and Daphne had finished their circuit of the yard, and Jessica had returned.

"How'd it go?" Jessica asked, smiling warmly at her guests.

"It went well, I think," Adrian said. "The children are absolutely lovely."

"They are," Daphne agreed. "I had a wonderful time."

"I'm so glad to hear that!" Jessica said. "Perhaps we might schedule a second visit, then? Multiple visits are encouraged to make sure we get a good fit."

"I'd like that very much, thank you," Daphne agreed, and she and Adrian followed Jessica back to her office, hearing echoes of Grace and a few of the other staff members calling the children inside for tea. Once at her desk, Jessica consulted her calendar.

"How does next Wednesday sound?" she asked. "In the morning, perhaps – the children will be in lessons for a bit, but you're more than welcome to watch." The couple agreed that Wednesday would work, and Jessica penciled them in.

"How did you feel when you were with the children?" she asked then. "Did you feel that you made any connections?" Adrian smiled and looked at his wife, remembering a particular moment he'd looked up and seen her from across the yard.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, I think we did."

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Draco asked as Adrian passed him a glass of wine. It was Friday night, two days after Adrian and Daphne's second visit with the children, and the Slytherin quintet was enjoying one of its rare group dinners, this time at Theo's place.

"They both went really well," Adrian replied, settling into his seat on the couch. He handed Daphne her drink and took a sip from his own. "Our third visit is in less than two weeks."

"Third visit?" Theo inquired. "Does that mean you've found the one, then?"

"Not one," Daphne said, smiling. "Two." Theo nearly choked on his drink; Draco, to his credit, managed to keep himself in check save for his raised eyebrows.

"Two?" the blond asked. "That's a bit unexpected."

"They're twins," Daphne explained. "A boy and a girl, not quite five years old. The children are all so sweet, but…I just really _feel_ it with these two, you know?" Draco nodded understandingly. Of course, he didn't have that knowledge when it came to a child, but he knew what a 'right' relationship felt like, whether it was his romance with Hermione or his protective nature with Posey.

"Well in that case, my sincerest congratulations," he said, raising his glass in a toast, which Astoria and Theo quickly copied. "Although I must say, you're going to be quite busy in that case!"

"It's no matter," Adrian said. "You don't find that sort of bond with just anyone, as I'm sure you know. We want these two children in our lives, if they'll have us."

"Of course they will," Astoria said soothingly. "Daphne told me how much that little boy brightened when she volunteered to read to him – if he and his sister haven't warmed up to you as much as you've warmed to them, then I'm a Hufflepuff."

"Tori, need I remind you that you're the most Hufflepuff of any of us?" Theo joked. Astoria stuck her tongue out at him.

"Cute," Theo said, reciprocating the action and making Astoria laugh. Being serious again, he added, "But even if Tori is a wannabe Hufflepuff, I agree with her – kids are impressionable, and it sounds like you've made a great impression."

"What's their story?" Draco asked, casually swirling the wine in his glass before taking another sip. In true Daphne fashion, the vintage was excellent as usual. "Since you've only just told us about them, we obviously don't know much."

"It's not a very good one, I'm afraid," Adrian said with a frown. "Their parents were part of a Snatcher gang, one of the ones that went rogue and continued after the war. The mother died shortly after giving birth – given the typical Snatcher conditions, I'm surprised the children survived – and the father gave them up when his gang was caught just outside of Cornwall not long after. Didn't want anything to do with them."

"It sounds like they're better off without him," Theo said, his face a dark scowl. They all knew why he'd reacted that way – Theo's own father had been terrible, absent more often than not and borderline abusive otherwise, and as his mother had died when Theo was very young, he'd been given precious little affection as a child. He wholeheartedly supported his friends' decision to adopt simply because it meant giving a child a loving home. If Theo wasn't so busy with work all the time, he might seriously consider adoption as well.

"Sad, but true," Daphne agreed. "They're absolutely darling, and I just want to give them everything they deserve."

"You will, Daph," Draco said confidently. "You've been waiting for this for years."

"I just hope the last visit goes well," Daphne replied. Their third visit would be with Henry and Ellie alone, and if it turned out positive, the twins would have a new home. If not, they could very well be back to square one.

"I'm sure it will," Astoria reassured her sister. She reached over and squeezed Daphne's hand. "And when it does, they'll be the luckiest children in all of Britain."

* * *

If Daphne had been apprehensive before their first visit with the children, she was a nervous wreck on the morning of their third. What if the visit went badly? What if Henry and Ellie didn't want to come home with them? The thought was almost painful, but Daphne couldn't help but think it – after all, she and Adrian had had good experiences with the twins in a setting they knew, but they hadn't yet broached the subject of adoption.

"Everything will be fine," Adrian reassured her as they approached the orphanage, although secretly he was just as nervous. "Just be yourself, Daph." He gave his wife an encouraging hug, and the two strode up to the front door. Grace greeted them in her usual chipper manner and led them to Jessica's office. Jessica then went to fetch the twins.

"Hello, there," Daphne said warmly as Jessica entered the room with the children in tow. "How are you today?"

"Good," the twins replied. They were still rather shy and talked but quietly, but at least they were no longer afraid to speak around the Puceys, who took it as an encouraging sign.

"We're going to do something special today," Daphne continued, crouching down to their level. "Would you like that?"

"What's that?" Ellie asked. Daphne smiled.

"Whatever you'd like it to be. What would you like to do today?"

The twins didn't pick anything too extraordinary – they wanted to look at picture books and then paint pictures of their own – but that was alright. Daphne and Adrian gladly joined in, and though it was a quiet afternoon, it seemed like the children had fun. Once they'd exhausted the twins' requests for the day, they all returned to the office. Daphne took a deep breath. It was time to ask what could very well be the most important question of her life.

"Henry," she began, "Ellie…we have something we want to ask you. Would you…would you like to come home with us?"

"To visit?" Henry asked. Daphne swallowed heavily and shook her head.

"No, Henry. To stay." She swallowed again, fighting tears. "We want you to come live with us – we want us to be a family. Would you…would you like that?"

"Family?" Ellie asked, her big blue eyes wide. Daphne nodded.

"Family." The twins looked speechless for a moment before Henry focused his gaze on Daphne.

"You want to be our family?" he repeated.

"We do," Adrian said from his position beside his wife. "Very much." Henry's answer was so quiet they almost didn't catch it, but his words brought tears of joy to both their eyes:

"Ok. We can be a family."

Ellie added a shy agreement of her own, and Daphne let her tears spill over. She clasped hands with Adrian, who was crying as well, and they both reached for the hands of the twins. After so many years of frustration and heartbreak, their dream of becoming parents had finally come true.

* * *

 **A/N: Awww, yay - Daphne & Adrian got their happy ending! More happy endings to come. :)**

 **Thanks to all of you for your support of my story! It means a lot.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	8. Plans for the Holidays

_Dear Hermione,_

 _Thanks ever so much for your last letter – the Halloween celebration you had sounded like so much fun, and I absolutely loved the photos you sent! Some of your students are extremely talented. I can't say I knew what all of the pictures on the pumpkins were – somebody must have quite the imagination, coming up with that bizarre bird-horse thing! – but they were wonderful regardless._

 _I know you don't care much for Halloween, but I have some news I absolutely HAVE to share with you. Lauren threw a Halloween party a few days beforehand (because, you know, some of us actually have to work on Mondays and can't just party all night the night before…ahem), and Dave finally made a move! Granted, it was only a dance, but Heather seemed to enjoy it, and I think they arranged to meet up for drinks in a week or so. It's almost ridiculous how long he's been dancing around his feelings for her – honestly, he makes you and Draco look normal – but I'm glad he's happy. I'm enclosing pictures (of everyone in their costumes; NOT of my dear cousin making cow eyes at Heather, thanks ever so! You wouldn't want those anyway, they're awful)._

 _Now that we've gotten the Halloween stuff out of the way…when are you coming home for the Christmas hols? It's quite fun sending these letters back and forth (honestly, I can't remember the last time I got post that wasn't a bill), but it's not the same as seeing your beautiful face in person. We need to talk about the Christmas party, and the Nutcracker, and Christmas Eve plans…although of course if Draco has something already planned, I certainly won't take you away from that! Do you know where you're staying when you come home?_

 _Speaking of Draco…we – Dave, Heather, Draco, his friend Theo, and myself, that is – all met up for lunch the other day, and he mentioned he's now a godfather to twins! I'm sure you've heard all about that already, but it was just so exciting that I had to say it again. He brought a photo to show us, and they're just too cute – if you get to meet them, I'm sure you'll agree that all you want to do is squeeze them, all day long._

 _Anyway, I'm sure I've already rambled on for far too long – you're too good to put up with me, honestly! Get back to me with your answers re: Christmas, and I can't wait to see you soon!_

 _Much love,_

 _Cat_

Hermione smiled as she finished the letter and browsed through the enclosed photographs. As was to be expected from her Muggle best friend, the pictures were completely stationary, but that didn't stop them from showing how much fun their subjects were having. As was the norm with Lauren's parties, this one had cut no corners, and it looked like it had been a wild night. Everyone in their friend group was in costume, and the pictures showed them dancing and posing for the camera, laughing hysterically all the while.

While the photos were definitely entertaining, the information the letter contained was just as wonderful. Hermione had, of course, already known about Draco's newfound godfather status, as he'd told her both after Adrian and Daphne had first honored him with the title, and again when the twins had come home. She even had a photo of the new Pucey family, plus Draco and Astoria, on her desk – although she had yet to meet the twins, she agreed with Cat's assessment that they were both extremely cute. She hadn't known about the newest developments with Dave, however, and that news made her very happy – Dave had had feelings for Heather for quite a while now but hadn't known how to approach them, and Hermione was thrilled that he'd finally done it. While Hermione had initially met Dave through Cat, as the two were cousins, she and Dave had become close friends of their own merit, and Dave really was just a big teddy bear. He deserved the happiness, and Hermione strongly believed that he and Heather would be good together. She laughed at Cat's mention of the 'bizarre bird-horse thing' – she did recall enclosing a picture of a pumpkin with a hippogriff carved on it – and she thought it was interesting that Theo had been present at that group lunch. Hermione hadn't had too much interaction with Draco's Slytherin friends (aside from Tori, of course), but she was beyond thrilled that they were willing to take the same steps Draco had and learn more about the Muggle world. Theo hadn't done anything so drastic as dating a Muggle-born (or a Muggle, for that matter – Draco had briefly dated Cat before he'd gotten together with Hermione), but his presence at that lunch was still a very positive thing, and Hermione admired him for having the courage to try.

Hermione knew most of the answers to Cat's questions about the holidays, and so she picked up a spare piece of parchment (Cat didn't understand why Hermione used it but was absolutely fascinated with the stuff, so Hermione always made sure to respond on parchment if she had it) and began to write. She was not expected to remain at Hogwarts over the holidays – there were already more than enough professors staying behind – and so she would return home after helping oversee the students' departure on the Hogwarts Express, remaining in England through the New Year. She did indeed plan to join them for _The Nutcracker_ – Heather was a dance teacher, and they always went to a performance to support her and her studio – and of course, the Christmas party was tradition as well.

As for her accommodations, Hermione had planned to return to the old flat she shared with Heather – all of the things she didn't need while at Hogwarts were still there, after all, and Heather had already made it clear that she was always welcome. But Cat's question had made Hermione think. Should she spend some of the holidays at her parents' house, or with Harry and Ginny at Grimmauld Place? Was Draco expecting her to spend significant time at Star Cottage? That last thought made her blush – yes, they'd been dating for a while now and knew each other arguably better than they knew themselves, but neither had broached the subject of living together. Would Draco even consider something like that? Hermione wasn't sure – what did purebloods teach their children about such things? With another blush, she admitted to herself that _she_ wasn't opposed to the idea. She then shook her head as she realized her thoughts were now just going in circles. Back down to earth, she just told Cat that she'd be staying at her place as usual and visiting everyone as their schedules allowed – it was easy enough to contact everyone if anything changed. She finished off the letter with general well wishes for Cat and the rest of their friends, then sealed the parchment, addressed it, and set it aside to take to the Owlery later.

After a quick round of fetch with Artemis, Hermione set to work examining the plans for the weeks remaining until the end of term. Just as with their Halloween party, she and Gemma wanted to incorporate as many traditions from both cultures as was possible, and their list for the holidays was very long indeed. They'd had a Guy Fawkes celebration in early November, complete with a bonfire outside by the lake. Hermione had shivered a little remembering her first Guy Fawkes Day with Draco – after the incident in the Room of Requirement, he was terrified of fire, and the night had been a tense one filled with dark secrets and too much Firewhiskey – but the Hogwarts bonfire had been pleasant enough, and those students who attended had seemed to enjoy it. After that, they'd tackled the topic of religion – just enough to give students the basics, but there were too many religious-affiliated events coming up to ignore it, and so by late November, every Hogwarts student had at least a rough understanding of what religion was, how it worked, and the similarities and differences of the major religions. The Islamic holy month of Ramadan ended roughly a week after Guy Fawkes Day, which made for another round of lessons, and as it was now early December, they'd just started their Hanukkah celebrations, complete with traditional foods and a large menorah in the Great Hall that students helped light each night. As neither Gemma nor Hermione celebrated those holidays, they'd enlisted the help of a few students to make sure their lessons were both accurate and thorough – the students were excited to help and seemed happy with the results. Hogwarts had never really acknowledged those holidays before, and the involved students were eager to bring more awareness of their traditions to their peers.

The Christmas plans were also well underway. The usual twelve Christmas trees decorated the Great Hall, and Hermione and Gemma had requested that a few of them be left bare for the students to trim themselves. Of course, those students who celebrated Christmas would probably have a hand in decorating their families' trees once they'd returned home, but helping with the Hogwarts trees would give them a sense of ownership and make them feel more connected to the celebrations, no matter which holidays they did or did not observe. In addition to the decorations, Hermione and Gemma were teaching the students a handful of popular Christmas carols – if there was enough interest, they'd organize a caroling trip to Hogsmeade – and a Secret Santa gift exchange would take place in the last week of term for anyone who wished to participate. Hermione loved the holidays even more than she didn't like Halloween, and she was very much looking forward to the rest of the month and hoped that her students would like what they'd planned.

Once she was satisfied that everything was moving smoothly, Hermione set aside her lists and plans and picked up the basket she kept beside her desk. In it were her knitting supplies, and she pulled out her needles and yarn and settled down on the couch to work. While she was nowhere near as talented as Posey, Hermione's skills had improved immensely since her house-elf crusade in fourth year, and she was now capable of knitting something that actually looked like whatever it was supposed to be. Her current project was a scarf, in a lovely shade of royal purple with small strips of gold sprinkled throughout, which she planned to give to Gemma for Christmas. She hoped her co-teacher would like it.

"Hey!" Hermione had felt a little tug on the end of her yarn, and sure enough, when she looked down, she saw Artemis sitting at her feet, one paw outstretched towards the tempting yarn.

"That's not for you," Hermione said, though she sounded far from scolding. Setting aside the scarf for a moment, she scooped up the kitten and placed her on her lap, where she curled up and began to purr. Shaking her head slightly, Hermione smiled and gently scratched Artemis behind her ears. It wasn't long before Artemis fell asleep, and Hermione was able to resume her knitting, this time placing the basket of materials beside her on the sofa so that Artemis wouldn't be tempted again if she were to awaken. It was a rare moment of quiet, and Hermione intended to enjoy it as much as she could.

* * *

 **A/N: This is a bit of a filler chapter, but it sets up the next one ( & the next chapter would've had too much going on in it if I hadn't split this one from it). Just for frame of reference, in 2004 (the current year in this fic), Ramadan ended on Nov. 14, & Hanukkah was from Dec. 8-15. Yay Google.**

 **Because this isn't all that exciting of a chapter, I'll go ahead & post chapter 9 in a minute. Two chapters today, huzzah! & the next one's a big one... ;)**

 **Thank you, as always, for the follows/faves/reviews! You guys are all so sweet.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	9. The Two Boxes

Just as it had done at Halloween, the days remaining until the winter break flew by – except this time, Hermione enjoyed every minute. Holiday cheer had spread through the halls of Hogwarts like wildfire, the celebrations contributing to a student body Hermione truly thought was happier than any she'd ever seen. Oh, she and her friends and housemates had definitely had their fun at the holidays, but they'd also had the burden of war looming ever closer with each passing year, the bleak headlines and the scary reality of life outside Hogwarts dampening their spirits all too often. Hell, they'd spent Christmas Day itself of her fifth year at St. Mungo's after Mr. Weasley was attacked by that horrid snake during his work for the Order – the threat had been real, and not even something like Christmas could've stopped it completely. Now, however, the Wizarding world had had some time to heal, and while they still had a long way to go, the happy smiles Hermione saw on her students' faces were like the sweetest elixir. It was an indescribably wonderful feeling to be able to celebrate the most magical time of year at such a magical place, without any mysteries, threats, secrets, or other dark spots holding her back.

Most of their plans for holiday-themed activities had gone rather well. They'd made ornaments in class one week, the students free to create whatever they'd liked, and those two bare Christmas trees were now a proud testament to the many cultures and traditions represented by the Hogwarts student body. Hermione thought they were wonderful, and she'd heard many complimentary remarks about them from others as well, students and staff alike. The caroling trip had unfortunately been canceled due to a bad snowstorm, but the students had merely shrugged it off and sung around the school instead. It wasn't quite the same as going door-to-door, but as long as they were having fun, Hermione didn't mind – it was _much_ better than listening to the charmed suits of armor like she'd had to do all through the Triwizard Tournament, at any rate. There had been snowball fights and sledding on the lawn and ice-skating on the lake, and the house-elves had supplied endless pitchers of their unparalleled hot cocoa recipe every night.

The Hogwarts staff had had a small party on the last night before the train's departure, and Hermione had received some very thoughtful gifts from her fellow teachers. Gemma, having learned of Hermione's love of baking, had found her a Wizarding cookbook – Hermione had immediately begun paging through it, noting several recipes she was eager to try – and Neville had given her a plant with lovely purple flowers and many natural calming properties. Professor McGonagall presented each member of the staff with a good-quality bottle of wine and a tin of biscuits, and they all took the time to exchange well wishes for the holidays and a happy new year.

* * *

Hermione had now been home for a few days and was completely immersed in all the holiday fun with her friends. She'd just managed to return home in time for the last performance of _The Nutcracker_ – Heather had danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy this year, looking lovely in a sparkly white and silver tutu – and she'd finished up the last bits of her shopping, making sure to stop in at the joke shop to say hi to George Weasley. She and Draco had gone to the Christmas tree farm and chosen two trees, one for Hermione's flat and one for Star Cottage, both of which had since been decorated. Presents were wrapped, cookies were baked, and now, it was Christmas Eve.

"Hermione!" A short, dark-haired young woman squealed with delight as she threw herself into Hermione's arms for a fierce hug. She squeezed Hermione until neither girl could breathe, then drew back and met her gaze.

"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Cat Bradley gushed. "Those letters you send are great, but they're just not the same!"

"It's wonderful to see you too!" Hermione agreed. Cat had been exceptionally busy in the short while Hermione had been home, and they hadn't yet had a chance to see one another – they hadn't even gone to the same Nutcracker performance. It was easy enough for Hermione's Wizarding friends to pop up to Hogwarts or Hogsmeade for a day, but as far as her Muggle friends were concerned, her location in northern Scotland meant she'd only be around at holidays, and they were eager for the long-overdue chance to catch up.

"Heather's in the kitchen," Hermione said as she took Cat's coat. As was tradition, she and Heather were hosting their Christmas Eve party.

"And Draco's already here!" Cat finished, spying the blond as he strode into view. Hermione chuckled.

"Yes, Draco's already here." Draco stepped up beside his girlfriend, grinning broadly, and accepted Cat's kiss to his cheek.

"How are you, love?" Cat asked. Draco laughed.

"We did just have tea last week, Cat," he reminded her. Cat brushed him off with an impatient hand gesture.

"Details," she muttered. "Am I not allowed to ask after my good friends?" They all laughed again, and Hermione encouraged Cat to come inside properly and offered her a drink.

It wasn't long before the rest of the guests had arrived and the party was in full swing. Harry, Ginny, Dave, Lauren, Chris, and Astoria had all come, and Hermione had been shocked but pleasantly surprised when Theo Nott had arrived with the younger Greengrass. Theo was quiet compared to most of the other guests, but Hermione could see that he was already forming positive relationships with some of her Muggle friends. Of course, Draco must've been the one to introduce them all in the first place, and she smiled when she realized how far Draco himself had come with this group, the blond having formed close friendships with Cat and Dave in particular.

When it was late enough, the friends bundled up in coats and scarves and made their way down the street to the little stone church, which held a Christmas Eve service Hermione adored. It was a simple service, with seasonal music performances and the reading of the Christmas story, and it always ended with the church bells tolling midnight. Hermione's favorite part of the service was the carols by candlelight – no matter how many times she participated, no matter how much she already knew to expect, it was always a magical moment. The sheer joy she felt as she sang the carols, coupled with the sight of dozens of candle flames flickering gently, was something that couldn't be duplicated, and she looked forward to it wholeheartedly every year.

* * *

"Happy Christmas, everyone!" Lauren said as they stood outside the church after the service had ended. "Let's all try to meet up at least once more before New Year's, yeah?" Various murmurs of agreement passed through the group, and they split up to go their separate ways, Hermione and Heather thanking everyone for joining them for such a wonderful evening. Once they'd waved goodbye to Harry and Ginny, Heather, Cat, Hermione, and Draco made their way back to the flat. Heather and Cat hurried forward, chatting excitedly about Christmas, while Draco and Hermione walked a few paces behind, enjoying the walk in spite of the chilly night air.

"Come back to Star Cottage with me?" Draco asked quietly. Hermione looked up at him.

"Now?" she asked. Draco nodded.

"I'd like to give you your gift tonight, if that's alright with you."

"It's awfully late…" Hermione began, but there was very little effort behind the argument. She very much wanted to go.

"It's up to you," was all Draco said. Hermione nodded.

"I'll come with you," she said after a moment. "I just need to tell the girls first." Draco smiled softly and dropped a gentle kiss on her lips before following her into the flat.

"I'll be back in a minute," Hermione whispered, and she trotted up the stairs. Heather's door was open, and Hermione knocked on the frame to get the other girls' attention.

"I'm going out with Draco for a bit," she told them. "Just…so you know where I am."

"We won't wait up, love," Cat said with a knowing smile. "I'm staying the night anyway, so it's not like Heather will be alone."

"But I might-"

"Hermione, don't worry about whether you're coming home or not – we trust Draco to take care of you, so just go enjoy yourself." Hermione smiled softly.

"I promise I'll join you for a proper sleepover sometime this week," she said. She stepped into the room and hugged them both.

"Happy Christmas," she whispered.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione."

Hermione soon returned to the main living area, a small bag slung over her shoulder.

"I brought your gift as well," she explained to Draco. He chuckled, and the two left the flat, making sure the street was deserted before Disapparating. They landed in the lane just outside Star Cottage, the little home Draco had built for himself on the grounds that had once housed Malfoy Manor, and Draco opened the front door and led the way inside. He did not turn on the lights, opting for just the soft glow of the Christmas tree.

"Master Draco is home!" a high-pitched voice squeaked. "And Miss Hermione!"

"Hello, Posey!" Hermione replied. Posey beamed, always happy to see Hermione, and Hermione couldn't help but return the infectious grin.

"Posey, you didn't have to wait up," Draco gently admonished. "It's very late."

"Posey is just wanting to see Master Draco home safe," Posey said. In spite of her cheerful demeanor, she did indeed look very tired. "Posey is glad that Master Draco is here."

"Posey, go get some sleep," Hermione said softly. "We'll still be here in the morning." She blushed as she realized her mistake – she shouldn't assume she was staying the night! – but neither Draco nor Posey commented. Perhaps they hadn't even noticed.

"Ok. Posey is being ready for bed," Posey admitted. "Goodnight, Master Draco. Goodnight, Miss Hermione."

"Goodnight, Posey," they chorused. Posey smiled one last time before shuffling down the hall and up the stairs to bed.

Once Posey was gone, Draco took Hermione's hand and led her to the couch.

"Your present is in my room – I'll just be a minute," he said. Hermione nodded, and Draco disappeared for a moment to his bedroom at the end of the hall, returning shortly with a box in his hands. It was wrapped in striped paper with a white ribbon tied in a bow and was no more than eight inches long, if Hermione had to guess. Without another word, Draco sat beside her and handed her the box. Hermione hadn't the faintest idea what was inside, but Draco looked almost…nervous?

"I almost don't want to unwrap it," Hermione said with a little laugh. "The bow is so pretty." She managed to slip the ribbon off without untying it and carefully opened the paper at both ends – aside from wanting to preserve the wrapping, she was also mindful of Posey trying to sleep. After setting the wrapping paper and ribbon aside, she opened the box. Inside was an old-fashioned key. It was long enough to cover her hand from her wrist to the tip of her fingers, and it was very heavy.

"What does this go to?" she asked, looking to Draco.

"Look at it again, Hermione," he said quietly. Hermione obliged, and she noticed what she'd missed before – the top of the key was decorated with tiny stars.

"What does this go to?" she repeated, this time in little more than a whisper. She had a sneaking suspicion, but should her heart dare hope? Draco had never mentioned anything like this before…

"It doesn't open anything, not really," Draco replied, his own voice equally quiet. "Star Cottage doesn't have keys in the conventional sense."

"Draco…" Hermione's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Of course, you already have keys, if you will, but I want you to have permanent ones – a home." He swallowed heavily. "And I suppose I should tell you that this gift has two parts." Draco slid from his place on the couch to kneel on the floor beside Hermione, taking her hand in his. She gasped when he raised his other hand, which held a much smaller box than the first one. Draco flipped open the box, and even in the dim light, Hermione could see the sparkle of the ring within.

"I want you to have a home here," Draco said, his voice low. "A home with me. Maybe I'm being completely selfish, because I honestly can't say what I've given you in return that's worth even half of what you've given me, but you've changed me, Hermione, in ways that I can't even begin to express. What started out as an educational exercise has entirely changed my life, and I cannot imagine going forward without you by my side. Hermione Jean Granger, will you continue to put up with that selfishness, as my wife? Will you marry me?" Hermione nodded.

"Yes," she whispered, choking back a sob. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "Oh, gods, Draco, yes! I will." With trembling fingers, Draco removed the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger, where it sized itself for a perfect fit. He kissed her fingertips reverently, his own eyes shining with tears, before he hoisted himself up onto the couch at Hermione's side and bent his head to connect their lips. One hand cupped her face while the other tangled in her hair, their tears mingling as they poured every ounce of their love into that one kiss. When they finally broke apart, Draco pulled back just enough to meet Hermione's eyes.

"Thank you, Granger," he whispered. "Thank you for loving me and for giving me a second chance." Hermione smiled and reached up to run her thumb across his cheekbone, wiping away a stray tear.

"You're not the only one who got a second chance," she said. She kissed him again, briefly, sweetly, then tilted her hand so that her new ring flashed in their peripheries. "I love you."

"And I love you – more than anything."

As neither one of them wanted to ruin the moment by moving too far, the couple just quietly repositioned themselves on the couch, Hermione's back to Draco's front, and intertwined their fingers, the light of the Christmas tree reflecting gently off their faces. Neither had any idea of the time, nor did they care – they were together, and they were at peace. Just before they drifted off to sleep, they broke the silence one last time:

"Happy Christmas, Draco."

"Happy Christmas, Hermione."

* * *

 **A/N: Has anyone else been waiting for that moment as long as I have? I may or may not have teared up a bit while writing it... 3**

 **Thank you, again, for all of your support. It means so much!**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	10. Reunited

Hermione woke early the next morning despite having gone to bed so late – she'd always been an early riser, and so her eyes opened out of habit. At first, she wondered why she was so stiff, why she seemed to be on a couch instead of sprawled out in her own bed, but then her memories of the previous night returned in full force, and she had to suppress a squeal. Draco had asked her to come back to Star Cottage after the church service, and he'd _proposed!_ They were getting _married!_ Hermione had been completely surprised – she hadn't been expecting it at all – but she couldn't say she wasn't happy. In fact, she was beyond excited, and she couldn't wait to share the good news with her family and friends.

Hermione then realized that she'd yet to have a good look at the ring, and she lifted her left hand from the couch and held it up. The ring was far more modest than anything she might've expected from one bearing the Malfoy name, but Hermione actually preferred it that way – she'd never liked ostentatious jewelry. The band was white gold, and the central stone was a sapphire, with three small diamonds set in triangles on either side. Seven stones – the most magical number. The gems sparkled in the early morning light as Hermione twisted her hand this way and that.

"Do you like it?" Hermione smiled at the question and the sleepy voice asking it.

"I absolutely love it," she replied, moving her hand yet again. "It's beautiful." Draco shifted closer so he could wrap his arm around her waist and took her hand in his, his thumb gently grazing the ring.

"I'm glad," he said. Hermione felt him smile into her neck before he moved even closer to rest his chin on her shoulder.

"I thought perhaps you mightn't care for anything in the Malfoy vault," he explained. "I suspect a fair few of those are cursed anyway, but even if they aren't, they were designed for society brides – and you, my dear, are far above such a petty title."

"You do know that sapphire is my birthstone?" Hermione asked with another smile. She felt Draco nod.

"Of course – you think I didn't do my research, Granger? I'm disappointed. And it just so happens that, in addition to coming in several very pleasing colors, sapphires happen to hold up well in long-term settings like this."

"It's perfect," Hermione agreed. She rolled to her back and gently tugged Draco forward into a kiss, which he quickly deepened. The atmosphere went from relaxed to heated in seconds, and soon they were snogging enthusiastically, Draco's hands running up and down Hermione's sides while hers twisted in his hair. It was just like Hermione's birthday…except this time, there was nothing in their way of continuing.

"I love you, Hermione," Draco breathed between kisses. One hand stopped at her waist and began toying with the hem of her shirt, sending shivers up her spine as his fingertips brushed bare skin. Hermione herself abandoned Draco's hair – with a bit of difficulty, she'd admit; she loved how soft and silky his hair was – in favor of his shirt buttons, and she had nearly half of them undone when a voice broke through the haze.

"Happy Christmas, Master Draco!"

Hermione squeaked and brought her hands to her own clothes, making sure Draco hadn't revealed too much of her, while Draco hastily redid his buttons. They quickly sat up to see Posey positively beaming at them, two brightly wrapped gifts in her hands and a festive pajama-like garment adorning her small frame. Thankfully, the little elf seemed oblivious to what she'd almost witnessed, but Hermione was mortified. How could they have forgotten about Posey?

"Happy Christmas, Posey." Hermione cursed Draco's ability to appear so unruffled – she was sure her own face was bright red. Seeing the look on her face, Draco chuckled and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, knowing he was teasing her, but as Posey hadn't said anything, perhaps she was off the hook.

"And a happy Christmas to you too, Miss Hermione!" Posey continued cheerfully. "Posey is not knowing that Miss Hermione is spending Christmas morning here, but Posey is happy she is." She paused and looked at Draco. "Is Master Draco giving Miss Hermione her present?" Draco smiled.

"I did, Posey – and she said yes." Posey's eyes widened, and she squealed and clapped her hands.

"That is being wonderful news!" she said, jumping up and down a little in excitement. "Posey is being so happy for you!" Her large eyes drifted to Hermione's hand, and Hermione obliged, extending her arm to show Posey the ring.

"It is being even prettier on you, Miss Hermione," Posey stated. Hermione looked up at Draco.

"Posey would've had my head if I'd picked a less-than-satisfactory ring for you," he said with a shrug. "She was the first one to see it when I brought it home from the jeweler's."

"Oh?" Hermione tilted her head in curiosity. "Who else has seen it, then?"

"No one, actually," Draco told her. "Potter and your parents know about the proposal, but they haven't seen the ring." Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes.

"You talked to Harry and my parents?" she said quietly.

"Of course I did, Granger," Draco replied, his voice just as low. "Potter might not be my best mate, and your dad still scares the hell out of me sometimes…but they're your family." A few of the tears slipped down Hermione's cheeks as she threw herself forward and hugged him. He'd talked to Harry and her parents…not only was the gesture unexpected (regarding Harry, anyway – talking to your intended's parents was rather traditional, she supposed), but it was also very sweet.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You have no idea how much that means to me." Draco smiled softly.

"They all said similar things – that you'd appreciate it," he said. "Now, I may have told Potter, but I swore him to secrecy, and I'm sure he's about to burst from having to keep something like this from his wife for so long. What do you say we have Christmas breakfast so you can go show off your new ring?" Hermione laughed. Draco had been right to tell Harry to keep it a secret – Ginny would've been so excited, she would've spilled the beans right away, and Hermione would've known about the proposal before it even happened.

"Breakfast sounds wonderful," she agreed.

* * *

It was quite a while later before either of them were ready to leave Star Cottage. First, once they'd finished their breakfasts, Draco had scooped Hermione up into his arms and carted her off to his bedroom to finish what they'd started that morning. Then, they'd both needed showers – which, inevitably, had escalated into something more than just washing up.

"We're newly engaged – there's a lot to celebrate," Draco said with a perfectly straight face. Hermione rolled her eyes but accepted another kiss nonetheless. She _was_ almost euphorically happy, after all.

Eventually, Draco and Hermione were both showered, dressed, and ready to face the day. As was the case with most of their holidays, it promised to be a busy one. They'd been invited to Harry and Ginny's for lunch, and then they would go their separate ways that evening for Christmas dinner, Hermione to the Burrow while Draco went to the Puceys'. Hermione wasn't upset about their differing agendas – it wouldn't be fair of her to drag Draco to the Burrow on Christmas of all days, not when almost all of the Weasleys would be there. Draco had interacted with a few of them since the war – he'd even developed an almost friendly relationship with Ginny, through her friendship with Hermione – but subjecting him to the whole family at once, without any warning, would make for an overwhelming and possibly awkward experience. Besides, Draco more than deserved the time with his own friends, especially since they were as much his family as the Weasleys were to Hermione.

"Ready to go?" Draco asked as he wrapped a scarf around his neck. Although they were Apparating to their various destinations, it still wasn't acceptable – or possible, in the case of their friends – to Apparate directly into someone's home, so the winter gear was necessary.

"I am," Hermione said. She paused and looked intently at her fiancé.

"Something wrong, Granger?"

"You won't be able to call me that anymore once we're married," Hermione reminded him with a laugh. Draco snorted.

"You'll always be Granger to me, love," he said. "Besides, you're the type of girl to seriously consider keeping her own name, so you might stay 'Granger' anyway."

"You'd be ok with that?" Hermione asked, cocking her head to one side.

"It's your name, Hermione – as long as you're my wife, I don't care. But I suspect you had something else you wanted to say?"

Hermione was speechless for a moment. She'd thought Draco would be one to insist that she change her name, to show that she was _his_ – but then again, he'd proven time and time again over the past few years that he was full of surprises, hadn't he? She then remembered what she'd meant to say in the first place.

"I just wanted to let you know that you were wrong," she said after a moment. Draco raised his eyebrows.

"About what?" Hermione tilted her head up to meet his gaze.

"When you proposed, you said you didn't think you'd given me anything worth what I'd given you," she said. "But you're wrong. After all, who was the one who believed in my idea enough to try it out for himself? You were willing to take a huge risk, to step into a world completely unknown to you, all for the sake of an idea – and I firmly believe that I wouldn't have been able to get the class approved as quickly as I did without your testimony. I might've designed the lessons, but _you_ were the one who tested them. You gave me your trust, you gave me your time, you gave me your ear when I needed someone who understood the war like I do…and you gave me your heart. So don't you dare say you haven't given me anything worth what I've given you." Resolve flashed through Hermione's brown eyes as she finished her little speech, and Draco couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips.

"I suppose you're right," he said, taking her hands and pulling her close. "After all, they don't call you the 'Brightest Witch of the Age' for nothing, do they?" His face turned serious as he added, "I still don't know what I did to deserve you, Granger, nor will I ever stop kicking myself for even thinking you to be beneath me – you're so far above me, there's no competition."

"Oh, stop," Hermione said breathlessly. "You don't give yourself enough credit."

"And there you go again," Draco replied softly. "You're an extraordinary woman, Hermione Granger." He kissed her swiftly, and then without another word, he pulled her into his arms and turned on the spot.

* * *

"Honestly, Draco, give a girl some warning before you just Apparate like that!" Hermione scolded once they'd popped into existence once more. Draco just laughed, and Hermione sighed – she knew he found her indignant expressions more cute than anything else, and as she wasn't truly angry, it wasn't worth saying anything further.

The Apparition point was hidden, leaving no risk of any of the Muggles who lived at Grimmauld Place seeing them, but Hermione still checked the square just in case before she stepped forward to knock on number twelve's door. They only had to wait a moment before the door opened, revealing bright green eyes and perpetually messy black hair.

"Hermione! Happy Christmas!" Hermione beamed as her best friend opened the door fully and stepped forward onto the stoop to engulf her in a hug. It wasn't even necessarily the holiday greeting that had made her smile, but the sight of Harry so happy. It had been such a rare treat during their childhoods that every instance now was special, no matter how insignificant.

"Happy Christmas, Harry!" she said.

"Draco," Harry said then, reaching behind Hermione to shake the blond's hand. "Happy holidays."

"To you as well," Draco replied. The two men certainly weren't best mates – and probably never would be, given their lengthy history – but they had little problems spending friendly afternoons in one another's company now, something that had only strengthened since Draco and Hermione had started dating. The first few encounters had been a bit awkward, but it had gotten much better over time, and Hermione was optimistic that their relationship would continue to improve.

"Well, are you going to invite them in, Harry Potter, or are you just going to stand there out in the cold all afternoon?" a familiar voice asked. They all turned to see Ginny staring amusedly at them from the front entryway, and Harry blushed and chuckled sheepishly as he led the way indoors.

"Lunch should be ready soon enough, and there's biscuits and cocoa in the sitting room in the meantime," Ginny said as she hugged Hermione. "Happy Christmas to both of you." The quartet entered said room, Ginny in the lead, and settled down on the sofas to help themselves to the treats. They spent a few minutes engaged in small talk about the holiday, and Harry was just describing the Quidditch toy set he'd bought for Teddy, which the little boy would receive later that day, when Ginny suddenly shrieked.

"Hermione Jean Granger!" Harry and Hermione hastened to steady the mugs they'd nearly upended at Ginny's shout, and Draco raised his eyebrows in question at the redhead, one hand still hovering over the cookie plate.

"Gin?" Hermione asked slowly.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ginny demanded. She reached forward and grabbed Hermione's left hand, the ring sparkling for all to see.

"It depends what you think it is," Hermione said with a coy smile. Ginny squealed again, and Hermione had to bite her lip to keep from joining in.

"You're getting married! Merlin, this is so exciting! Why didn't you say anything when you got here?" Ginny paused to catch her breath. "Tell me _everything."_

"Is your wife always this energetic, Potter?" Draco asked as Ginny carried on. Harry laughed.

"D'you really have to ask that question, mate? You remember her from school, after all." He did have a point, Draco mused – Ginny had always been full of life, whether lighting up the Quidditch pitch with her athleticism, or the halls of Hogwarts with both her exceptional magical abilities and her stalwart leadership. Her fiery spirit hadn't dampened with age, nor had her enthusiasm.

"I wasn't trying to keep it a secret!" Hermione insisted with a laugh. "I was going to tell you as soon as Harry finished telling me about Teddy's gift!"

"Uh huh," Ginny teased. "Sure you were." She examined the ring again, approval dancing in her eyes, and added, "So how did he do it? Where? When? I want _details!"_

"Last night, after the church service, at Star Cottage," Hermione replied, a soft smile on her face as she relived the memory. "It was very simple, and very sweet."

"Granger, what have I told you about me and that word?" Draco groaned. Hermione giggled and took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers.

"I don't care what you say," she said as she brought their joined hands up to kiss his fingers. "Your proposal _was_ very sweet."

"You don't seem surprised," Ginny said suddenly, rounding on Harry. Harry went red, and Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"You already knew, didn't you?" she asked. "You already knew that Draco was planning to propose! How is that fair?"

"Erm…Gin?" Hermione said. "I love you, I really do, but do you really think you would've been able to keep something like this a secret?" Ginny stared at her for a moment before she slumped back into the couch, defeated.

"You're right," she admitted. "I would've blurted it out first thing I'd seen you." She perked up quickly and said, "But that's neither here nor there. What's important is that you two are getting _married!_ Ooooh, can I help you plan it? Pleeeease?"

"Would I expect anything less from my Matron of Honor?" Hermione replied with a small smile. Ginny's jaw dropped and she remained speechless for a long moment.

"Matron of Honor?" she finally asked, her voice quiet. Hermione nodded.

"Of course, Gin. You're one of my best friends, practically my sister. There's no one I'd rather have stand with me."

"Oh, Hermione!" Ginny jumped off the couch and hugged her friend tightly. "I'd be honored, thank you so much!"

"Sorry, Potter, but I don't think you'll make the cut for my best man," Draco joked. Harry laughed loudly.

"I wasn't expecting to," he replied. "There are others much more qualified for that job. As long as I'm invited, I'm happy." He turned serious then and added, "It's funny how just a few short years ago, I would've thought Hermione had gone mental if she'd said you two were engaged, but now…now, it feels right, you know? It's not something I ever could've guessed, but I've seen it with my own two eyes – you two are good for each other."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said. She reached over to squeeze Harry's hand, tears in her eyes. "I love you so much."

"Love you too," Harry said fondly. "You're the one person who's always been there for me, 'Mione, no matter what – you deserve this happiness more than anyone."

"I hate to kill the mood, but there is far too much sappy Gryffindor-ness going on here," Draco interrupted. The other three burst into laughter.

"Best be careful there, Draco," Ginny said through her giggles. "You're marrying a Gryffindor, and she belongs to a very large adoptive family of Gryffindors – like it or not, you're going to have lions in your life for a long time!"

"How will I stand it?" Draco mock-groaned, causing Harry and Hermione to erupt in a fresh wave of laughs.

"Do you two have a date in mind?" Harry asked once they'd all calmed down.

"We hadn't really discussed it yet, no," Hermione replied. "After all, we only just got engaged last night."

"We had slightly more important things to do this morning than discuss dates," Draco added, waggling his eyebrows mischievously. Harry groaned.

"Ugh!" he said. "I did _not_ need to think about my sister that way!"

"You're welcome," Draco said with a grin. He only just managed to duck out of the way of the throw pillow Harry tossed at him.

"There's a reason you weren't a Chaser, love," Ginny deadpanned. Her wand vibrated on the coffee table, and she added, "That'll be the food – I'll just be a mo."

Ginny hadn't been gone more than a minute or two when the doorbell rang.

"I didn't know you'd invited anyone else," Hermione commented. Harry frowned.

"I didn't," he said. "Lunch was just supposed to be the four of us." The two Gryffindors immediately drew their wands and hurried on silent feet to the front door. Draco followed close behind, his own wand in hand – he might not be a rash lion, but he was Harry's guest and Hermione's fiancé. If something was wrong, he was going to help. Behind him, he heard Ginny come up the stairs from the kitchen, the redhead obviously having heard the doorbell as well.

"Sound spell?" Harry whispered to Hermione. Hermione nodded and murmured the incantation, which would allow them to speak clearly with whoever was on the other side of the door without actually opening it. As very few people were even supposed to know the location of Harry's house, the spell had been an extremely useful find.

"Who's there?" Harry demanded once the spell was up. They heard the shuffling of feet, followed by a response:

"Er…gee, I guess it's a bit hard for a bloke to plan a surprise these days, innit?"

Harry and Hermione stared at one another, shocked into silence. They knew that voice – knew it very well, in fact…

"How do we know you are who you say you are?" Hermione asked. Merlin, if it was really who they thought…

"Erm...during first year, the chess game, Harry was a bishop, Hermione was a rook, and I was a knight."

It was a very specific answer, and a seemingly insignificant detail. The odds of anyone else knowing were very slim indeed. Harry wrenched open the door, his heart pounding.

 _"Ron?"_

* * *

 **A/N: And the Golden Trio is back! I hope this chapter brought some lighthearted fun to your day.**

 **Thank you all for the lovely reviews, as well as your faves/follows/etc. It does make me happy to know that people are reading & liking my stuff.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please leave me your thoughts, & enjoy! :)**


	11. The Golden Trio, Together Again

The redhead on the front stoop gave a sheepish half smile as he looked back at the gaping young man.

"Happy Christmas, mate."

With a strangled cry, Harry all but leapt forward and pulled Ron into a bone-crushing hug, his friend returning the greeting with equal enthusiasm. Hermione, too, rushed forward to demand a hug from their long-absent best friend, and she laughed loudly when Ron picked her right off the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Harry demanded, one hand still resting on Ron's shoulder as if his friend might disappear if he dared let go. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" Ron chuckled.

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, didn't I? Guess I should've known that surprises don't exactly work well when your place is warded tighter than a Gringotts vault."

"Well, we've gotten into those all right," Hermione joked, referring to the time they'd broken into Gringotts during the war. Ron laughed again, and the trio quickly fell into their own little world of reminiscing, all but forgetting the outside world in their reunion.

"You alright?" Draco started at the soft voice, unaware that Ginny was still by his side.

"What do you mean?" he asked carefully. Ginny shrugged.

"You've had time to build positive relationships with Harry and Hermione, but the same can't be said for Ron," she explained. "And I always thought, of the three of them, you were at odds with him the most while at school."

"I don't know that I necessarily had more of an issue with any one of them in particular," Draco countered, "but I see your point. No, I'm alright, it's just…"

"Like being on the outside looking in?" Ginny suggested. When Draco looked at her questioningly, she continued, "It's not just you, you know – that's just how it is with those three. I know how it feels, too, and I'm about as close with them as you can get: Harry's my husband, Hermione's my best girlfriend, and Ron's my own brother. But they have experiences that bind them in a way that few people would understand, and as a result, they're always going to be that trio. It took me a while to understand and come to terms with that, but once I did, it made things a little easier. They had an entire year of adventures together before I was even in the picture at all, and I just consider myself lucky to have such a strong relationship with each of them."

Draco was quiet for a moment as he mulled over Ginny's words. She had, as usual, hit the Bludger dead on – if one believed even half of the things the trio had allegedly done, it was still an extraordinary list. Hermione had told him quite candidly that they'd solidified their friendship by battling a troll – a _troll,_ of all things, as first years! – and that had been just the first of many adventures. They'd spent large chunks of their summer and winter holidays together, and of course they'd spent most of their would-have-been seventh year on the run together working to bring down Voldemort. Some of these experiences were typical while others definitely weren't, and all of them had made the Golden Trio who they were, both as friends and as people. Others could get close to them, of course, but there would always be that little extra something that only the trio would ever really understand.

"I think I get it," Draco said softly, his eyes resting on the threesome still chatting by the open front door.

"They have a very rare friendship," Ginny agreed, somehow understanding what Draco meant without needing further elaboration. She then decided to bring the trio back down to earth and called, "Are you aiming to keep the front door open all day, Harry?" She snorted as her husband jumped – he'd been completely oblivious to the outside world since he'd opened the door.

"I guess I am," he said with a guilty laugh. "Sorry, Gin."

"And I would like to say hello to my _brother_ , if you don't mind," Ginny added with a grin. She briskly stepped forward and threw her arms around Ron, her petite frame almost disappearing in his much larger one.

"It's good to see you," she said quietly, taking a step back to look up into her brother's face.

"Good to see you too, Gin," he replied. "I missed you."

"And who's this?" Ginny asked, gesturing to the woman behind Ron. She was perhaps an inch or so taller than Ginny, with shoulder length dark blonde hair and deep brown eyes.

"Ron, you kept us talking that entire time and didn't think to mention you'd brought company?" Hermione scolded. Ron laughed at Hermione's predictable reaction even as Hermione stepped forward and held out her hand.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she said, "and I sincerely apologize for my friend's lack of manners!" The girl smiled.

"It's alright," she said as she shook the offered hand. "I know Ron was really excited to see you all. I'm Celia Reynolds." Hermione looked at Ron, her look of disapproval shifting into a knowing smile. Celia was Ron's longtime girlfriend.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she said. "Ron's told us all about you, you know." Celia looked at Ron expectantly.

"And just what have you told them?" she asked, a grin playing about her lips. Ron flushed red.

"Only good things, love, I promise!"

"Perhaps we should all move somewhere more comfortable?" Ginny suggested. "I was just checking on lunch when you arrived, Ron; I'm sure you'll be thrilled to find it's almost ready."

"Unless America has somehow curbed your appetite?" Harry joked. To their surprise, Celia snorted.

"Not in the slightest," she informed them, setting off a fresh wave of laughter. They started to make their way back into the sitting room, and it was then that Ron finally noticed Draco, who hadn't yet moved from his place against the wall. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny tensed, their hands surreptitiously drifting to their wands. Ron had so little knowledge of Draco's new stance in their world, and he hadn't had any warning that the blond was going to be here…

"Weasley."

"Malfoy." Ron stared hard, his jaw clenched as if waiting for an inevitable insult. There was a long, tense silence as neither man spoke.

"Safe travels?" Draco finally asked. Ron clearly hadn't expected such a harmless, mundane question, and he looked puzzled for a minute before he finally found his words.

"Pleasant enough, I guess…long distance travel's never the greatest, but it was alright." He paused again. "Look, I can't say I'm happy that you're here, but I guess I should've expected something, seeing as you're dating 'Mione and all-"

"Engaged, actually," Hermione interrupted. She blushed as Ron turned to stare at her.

"Sorry?" he asked. Perhaps he hadn't heard her, or perhaps he hadn't believed what he thought he'd heard.

"Draco and I are engaged," Hermione repeated, her voice quiet but firm. She held out her left hand so Ron could see the ring, the defiant look in her eyes daring Ron to react.

"I…wow," Ron said. "Didn't see that one coming, did I? 'Mione and Malfoy…" The others waited tensely to see if he would say anything more. Finally, he looked Draco right in the eye and said, "I don't trust you, Malfoy – I know that everyone else might, but I don't." He paused and looked at Hermione. "But I also know that I haven't had time to build any sort of trust – I've been out of the country since the end of the war. And…well, it would be stupid of me to think that anyone involved in that war hasn't changed at least a little bit. So no, I don't trust you – but my best friends do, and my little sister does, and that's good enough for me."

"Thank you, Ron," Hermione whispered, her eyes welling up as she smiled at her friend. Ron's response had been far better than she could've hoped.

"But just so you know, break her heart, and I'll come up with something much worse than being a ferret," Ron warned.

"Duly noted," Draco said with a snort. "Although I think you'll have to get in line – do you really think Hermione would let me pull something like that without repercussions? And of course I still remember your sister's bat-bogey hex." Ginny smirked.

"You're welcome." She picked up her wand and twirled it suggestively.

"Nope, I'll pass," Draco said, causing Harry and Hermione to laugh.

"We weren't exactly best mates in school," Ginny explained to a confused-looking Celia.

"I guess not," Celia said with a laugh. "Well, congratulations, you two."

"Thank you," Hermione said sincerely. She took Draco's hand and led him over to the sofa. "So, care to share what finally brought you home, Ron?" The others all took seats and turned expectantly towards the tall redhead, awaiting his answer.

"I miss England," Ron said with a shrug. "Make no mistake, moving there was the right thing for me to do – after the war, and…well, Fred, and everything, I just couldn't be here, and America was the best decision I'd made for myself in a long time…but this is home." He shrugged again. "Can't really explain it better than that, I guess. America was great, but it's time to come back."

"Come back?" Harry repeated, having noticed his best mate's word choice. "Are you… _staying,_ then?" He almost didn't ask, afraid that Ron would answer in the negative, but he had to know. Ron responded with one of the lopsided grins they knew so well.

"Yeah, actually," he said, causing Ginny to gasp in surprised delight. "It's been long enough, and I want to come back for good. Not right away – we still have to find a place to live, and of course we'll need work – but as soon as we can get everything squared away, we'll be here."

"What about you, Celia?" Hermione asked. "Ron keeps saying 'we', so I'm assuming that means you're planning to come too, but aren't you from the States? Won't that just be the same situation in reverse?"

"Not really, actually," Celia explained. "Yeah, I'm from the US, but I don't really have a home base like Ron does – my parents moved around a lot when I was a kid thanks to my dad's job, so aside from school, I didn't really have any one place I considered 'home'. I still visit them at the holidays, but they move into their current place after I'd left school, so I don't have any special connection to it." She brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes and added, "Besides, thanks to magic, it's not like international travel is all that difficult – if I really want to, I can pop over and see them whenever I want."

"Her sister came all the way from Japan for Christmas dinner yesterday," Ron informed them. "Of course, she rode in one of those aeroplane things, but all the same, even Muggle travel gets you around the world in a day."

"That it does," Hermione agreed. "You have a sister, Celia?"

"And two brothers – I'm the third of four," Celia said. "My younger brother's in his last year at Ilvermorny, my older brother lives in San Francisco, and my older sister, obviously, lives in Japan."

"So my family won't be _too_ intimidating, then," Ginny said with a laugh. Celia laughed too.

"Ron did warn me that your Christmas dinner celebration would be packed," she agreed. "I'm a little nervous, but we'll see how it goes."

"You'll be fine," Harry reassured her. "The Weasleys are a very welcoming bunch."

"Are you all going too, then?" Celia asked.

"I'm not, no," Draco said, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the room. When Celia tilted her head in question, he elaborated, "My family has a lengthy history with the Weasleys, and it's not a good one, I'm afraid. I've gotten to know Little Red over here fairly well-" Here he stopped as Ginny snorted.

"He acts as if we're merely coworkers or something," she said. "Are we not friends, Draco? I thought we liked each other." She widened her eyes and stuck out her lower lip in a perfect puppy-dog pout.

"Honestly, what am I supposed to do with you?" Draco asked, shaking his head. When Ginny merely widened her eyes even further, Draco threw up his hands in exasperation and said, "Ok fine, I'll admit you're decent enough!" Hermione burst out laughing and Ginny's pout morphed into a broad grin.

"From him, that's practically saying we're best mates," she said.

"Keep thinking that, Ginny," Draco retorted, though he too managed a grin. Turning back to Celia, he continued, "The point is that while I've formed a positive relationship with Ginny, I haven't interacted much with the rest of the family since the war – or ever, really – so most of their memories of me aren't exactly the type you'd want hauled out over Christmas dinner."

"You'll have to do something about it eventually, mate," Harry said. "Like Gin said earlier, Hermione's an honorary member of their family, which means they'll be invited to the wedding."

"I never said I wouldn't, Potter," Draco replied. "That's a serious discussion, though, not one that you have at Christmas – especially not when this one is announcing his plans to return home." He nodded towards Ron. "He's actually a part of the family and I'm not, so it isn't my place to overshadow that."

"I really did miss a lot while I was gone, didn't I?" Ron muttered. "Keep that up, Malfoy, and I might think you actually like me."

"Nice try, Weasley," Draco said. "We were absolute shits to each other in school, that doesn't change overnight."

"But you've managed to have a civil conversation for the last…however long it's been since Ron and Celia arrived," Hermione pointed out.

"It's a good start," Ginny agreed. "But as you just pointed out, 'Mione, it's been a while since you two got here, and I'm starving. Who's ready for Christmas dinner?"

"That sounds great!" Celia agreed. "I've heard quite a few stories about the famous Weasley cooking." Ginny blushed.

"Well, I'm not my mum," she said. "I'm decent enough, but you won't get the meal of legend until tonight."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Celia said. As they stood to make their way to the kitchen, she added, "Oh, I almost forgot! Ron said something earlier that I meant to ask about – did I really hear you say something about being a _ferret?"_

Draco groaned.

"Weasley, I might change my mind about being civil if you answer that…"

* * *

 **A/N: Bit of a shorter chapter, but I think it needed to stand alone - & I also think we'll be done with Christmas/jumping ahead a little next chapter anyway.**

 **Thank you all for your kind words, for reading/following/favoriting/etc. It's Thanksgiving today, & I'm absolutely thankful for all of you & your wonderful support! Whether you're celebrating or not, I wish you all a fabulous day, because you're the best.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please let me know what you thought, & enjoy! :)**


	12. The Unexpected Question

"And I was thinking that maybe we could…Hermione?"

Pause.

"Hermione?"

Another pause.

"EARTH TO HERMIONE!"

Hermione jumped about a foot and looked around, startled. Her gaze met Gemma's, the other witch looking mildly exasperated but also rather amused.

"Oh, goodness, Gemma, I'm so sorry!" Hermione said. "I really was off in my own little world, wasn't I? Some example I'm setting…"

"It happens to the best of us," Gemma said with a shrug. "I know you have other things on your mind." She smirked as she nodded towards the ring glittering on Hermione's left hand. Hermione shook her head.

"Newly engaged or not, that doesn't excuse my behavior," she said firmly. "I'm supposed to be helping you plan this class, not dancing off into Dreamland." Gemma laughed heartily.

"Hermione, don't worry about it," she said sincerely. "Nobody's perfect, and you certainly have a lot on your mind. Now, I was thinking about what you said the other day, about wanting to do something special to spice things up."

"Do you have any ideas?" Hermione asked almost desperately, her full attention suddenly returning. "I really do think we need something, but I haven't the faintest idea where to start!" While their classes had been going well, the two young women wanted to do something more than just lecture all year – for one thing, monotony really wasn't the way to go if they wanted to leave a lasting impression, and for another, they wanted a way for their students to apply what they'd learned. Part of what had made Draco's lessons so successful was the hands-on aspect, and Hermione really wanted to do something similar with the Hogwarts students. However, many of the things Hermione had done with Draco weren't possible now – taking one person somewhere was one thing; taking hundreds of teenagers to that same place was something different entirely. Perhaps they might be able to swing a trip to a Muggle village for the seventh-year class as a sort of 'graduation', a chance to put their skills into practice before entering the real world, but planning something like that for the entire school was extremely impractical. If they were going to do a whole-school event, it would have to take place on the Hogwarts grounds.

"I do have an idea, actually," Gemma replied. "What if we organized a carnival?"

"A carnival?" Hermione cocked her head, intrigued.

"Yes. If we do it in the summer term, it'll be warm enough that no one will mind being outside, and we can have it on the lawn," Gemma explained. "We can offer a mix of Muggle and magical activities – games, or perhaps a sports tournament – and of course food. Perhaps each year group can be in charge of planning something, and we can throw in a few ideas of our own as well."

"And I'm sure we can find some way to work in currency," Hermione chimed in. "Real carnivals charge tickets for their rides and games, and those tickets cost money – obviously, it wouldn't be fair to some students if we charged real money, but play money might do the trick."

"Exactly!" Gemma agreed. "We can incorporate loads of things from both cultures into one big event. It'll be a change from our usual format, and the students will feel invested in the carnival because they'll have a say in creating it."

"I love the idea," Hermione said. "Thank you, Gemma."

"You're very welcome. My brothers and I used to go to a local carnival all the time when we were kids – obviously, I haven't been in years, but I still remember some of our favorite activities."

"We'll have to start planning soon, so that we have time to acquire everything we need, and so that the students have enough time to brainstorm," Hermione said. "Especially for the older students, because we don't want them to have to worry about planning a carnival on top of revising for OWLs and NEWTs."

"I agree," Gemma said. "We'll definitely want to have the carnival after those exams are over – in fact, we could probably wait until _all_ exams are finished, since there's usually at least a few days between the last exam and the Express' departure. That way, it could be a last treat before the students head home for the summer."

"That sounds good," Hermione agreed. "Of course, we'll have to run all this by the headmistress before we get too into anything, but it helps that we have a solid idea of what we're looking to do."

"It does. Now, we don't want to do too much before we talk to McGonagall, but let's get a basic framework done, and then we should go over tomorrow's lesson for the fourth-years. I had something that I wanted to try…"

* * *

The following Friday found Hermione in good spirits. She and Gemma had gotten the seal of approval from Professor McGonagall for their carnival idea, and those students they'd seen since their meeting with the headmistress had been enthusiastic as well, some even already putting forth suggestions for possible activities. Hermione and Gemma had instructed the students to brainstorm ideas for homework – it would be a while yet before anything was finalized in terms of who was in charge of what, but the more ideas they had to work with early on, the easier things would be when they really sunk their teeth into the planning.

In addition to the positive initial response to the carnival, Hermione was looking forward to dinner with her parents that evening. They weren't always able to keep to their usual first-Friday-of-the-month routine due to Hermione's responsibilities, but they still tried to meet once a month. Hermione wasn't scheduled to patrol that weekend, and so she was going home. As the distance was just slightly too far for Hermione to comfortably Apparate – long-distance Apparition was possible, of course, but it was extremely draining, and Hermione did plan to return to Hogwarts that same night – she would be taking a Portkey, which would deposit her in the same secluded spot in her parents' backyard that she used for Apparition. Hermione dressed in warm, comfortable clothes, attended to Artemis' needs, and secured her living quarters, the little figurine that was her Portkey tucked safely in her coat pocket. After the war, the Hogwarts wards were stronger than ever, meaning that direct travel from inside the castle wasn't possible, barring a temporary Floo connection from the Headmistress' office in case of an emergency, and so Hermione set off on a brisk walk across the grounds, her shoulders scrunched up against the frigid January air. Once outside the gates, she retrieved the figurine, whispered the activation spell, and disappeared.

It was raining at the elder Grangers', and Hermione hurried as quickly as she could towards the house to avoid the worst of the cold water. She knocked sharply on the back door, and it wasn't long before her father answered.

"Hello, sweetheart!" he said, drawing his daughter into a warm hug. Hermione sank into the embrace, relishing in the familiar feeling. She'd always loved her dad's hugs, and especially after the war and wondering if she'd ever get another chance to hug him again, she never took them for granted.

"It's good to see you too, Dad," Hermione said, smiling up at him. John Granger's eyes crinkled at the edges behind his glasses as he returned the gesture, and after removing her coat and boots, Hermione followed him into the living room. Hermione's mother rose from the couch when she caught sight of her husband and daughter.

"Good to see you, darling." Margaret Granger greeted her daughter with a kiss on the cheek, then resumed her seat and patted the spot next to her. "Dinner isn't quite ready, but of course that doesn't mean we can't catch up a bit beforehand. How is everything at Hogwarts?"

Hermione barely refrained from beaming. When she had first reversed the memory charm after the war, her mother in particular had been so angry and upset about what Hermione had done that Hermione hadn't been able to talk about anything related to magic for a very long time. Even now, she always thought carefully about what topics were safe to discuss. It was a testament to how far her parents had come that her mother was able to speak that name without flinching or affecting some other unflattering facial expression.

"Things are going very well, Mum," Hermione said. "Gemma came up with the idea of having a carnival that will allow our students to showcase what they've learned."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea," her father enthused. "I take it the carnival will give the students a chance to practice their skills?"

"Exactly." Hermione nodded. "When I was working with Draco, so much of his learning was hands-on, but it's not really practical to take the entirety of Hogwarts to a Muggle village like I was able to do with him. The students really do need a way to practice, though, and we also wanted to do something that deviated a bit from our standard lectures."

"Well, you want to leave a good impression, of course," Margaret said. Hermione nodded again.

"We do. This first year is so important, so we need to make sure that we're getting our message across in the right ways. Just throwing information at them isn't enough – we need to make sure the students know that they all have a place in the world, no matter which path they ultimately choose, and that they have what they need to succeed."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about there," John said. "You've proven time and time again how capable you are through your own schooling, and of course, there's Draco. Not that long ago, he didn't know much of anything about our world, and that's obviously changed."

"He wouldn't have lasted ten minutes in the Muggle world a few years ago," Hermione said with a slight giggle. "We started from scratch with his lessons, and now look at him – he's made new friends, and regularly goes into Muggle London on his own and fares splendidly." A slight frown flashed across Margaret's face then, her expression suggesting she'd thought of something she didn't like – it was fleeting, but Hermione, senses honed and instincts sharp from the war, noticed.

"Something wrong, Mum?" she asked. Margaret shook her head as if to bring herself out of whatever funk she'd gotten into.

"Nothing, dear," she replied, though the sincerity didn't reach her eyes. Hermione knew her mother wasn't entirely being honest with her, but before she could push the issue, the oven timer dinged, and the three Grangers were soon distracted with setting out the food and preparing to eat. All through dinner, they talked of what the elder Grangers had been up to recently – Hermione laughed loudly at her dad's recounting of the latest football match he'd watched, which apparently had been quite the nail-biter – and it wasn't until the food was cleared away and they were back in the living room that Hermione had the chance to revisit the topic of her mother's strange look.

"Mum, I know something's wrong," she said. "I know you don't necessarily like when I mention it, but I have been through a war, and because of those experiences, I'm far more perceptive than most people. Please, tell me what's bothering you." Margaret Granger sighed.

"Hermione…" she paused for a moment, as if unsure of how she should word her question. "Do you want your non-magical friends to be involved with your wedding?" Hermione tilted her head to one side in confusion. She hadn't expected such a question, nor could she fathom how it connected to her mother's discomfort.

"Of course," she said slowly. "I haven't yet decided anything about my wedding party other than Ginny as my Matron of Honor, of course, so I'm not sure how many attendants I'll have or who they'll be, but at the very least, I expect to invite them. Why do you ask?"

"Hermione, dear…how is that going to work? I assume that there are differences between magical and non-magical weddings – what is Draco expecting?"

Hermione thought about her mother's question for a moment and quickly grew uncomfortable when she realized she didn't have a concrete answer. She hadn't been to many Wizarding weddings – Bill and Fleur's, and Harry and Ginny's, of course – but however different those weddings had been, they did share a few key elements in common, elements that were most definitely not present in Muggle weddings. Magic was visibly used in the ceremonies, and Hermione hadn't even considered what could prove to be a crucial detail. Had Draco thought of this? And if he had, what were his thoughts on it? Sure, he'd come a long way in terms of his ability to navigate the Muggle world, but he was still a pureblood wizard, still incredibly proud of his customs, and Hermione was sure he would want to include those customs in something as important as his wedding day. But Cat, Dave, and the others were some of her closest friends – how could she possibly explain not even inviting them to the wedding? They already knew she and Draco were engaged, so it wasn't like she could just pretend she hadn't told them…and even the mere thought of doing so made her feel terrible…

"Hermione? Are you alright, sweetheart?" Hermione looked up into her father's concerned face.

"I…no, I'm not," she finally said. "Mum's question…it wasn't something I'd thought about, to be honest, and I truly don't know how Draco feels about the idea. He's good friends with a few of my Muggle friends as well, but…well, there are parts of Wizarding marriages that wouldn't be able to be explained away, and I can't just ask him to ignore those traditions – they're a huge part of who he is, and taking that away just wouldn't feel right." Hermione groaned and dropped her head in her hands. "I just don't know what to do!"

"I'm sorry, darling," Margaret said as she scooted closer and rubbed her daughter's back. "I didn't mean to cause you so much distress. I just wanted to make sure that you hadn't overlooked what seems to be an important detail."

"It is important," Hermione agreed with a sigh. "I just…I can't not invite my Muggle friends; they mean too much to me, but I can't ask Draco to drop all of his traditions, either. Our two cultures should balance, not fight – and if anything, the Wizarding customs should end up more prominent, not the other way around."

"I think you need to talk to Draco and see what he thinks," her mother said, her hand still resting on her daughter's back. When Hermione looked up in what could only be described as horrified shock, Margaret continued, "I'm not saying it'll be an easy conversation, because it won't, but it's one you need to have, Hermione. Draco cares for you a great deal, and this is a big thing – you need to be honest with him, and sooner rather than later. Keeping secrets will lead to nothing but trouble." That last bit, at least, Hermione couldn't argue with – she, Harry, and Ron had faced plenty of terrible setbacks during the war due to secrets.

"I know. It's just…it's hard." There was a lengthy silence following Hermione's declaration. Her parents hated seeing her so upset, and Hermione herself hated feeling so helpless.

"Hermione?" Hermione looked up at her father.

"Dad?"

"Draco loves you, without a doubt – I knew it from the moment he showed up here the day your class was approved." Hermione remembered that day well. In a state of euphoria after the verdict, she'd kissed Draco for the first time, that euphoria quickly morphing into horror as she realized she'd just kissed the man who was – she thought – still dating one of her best friends. When Draco had found out about Hermione's misconception – from Harry, no less, who'd witnessed a large portion of what had happened – Draco had contacted Cat for Hermione's address, and the two of them had gone to set things straight. Draco had been uncharacteristically open and emotional, apologizing profusely to Hermione and all but begging for her forgiveness.

"He showed me he was sincere right from the start, and I have no reason to believe that he'll behave otherwise now," John continued, interrupting Hermione's musings about the past. "Talk to him, be honest about your feelings like he was for you, and I'm sure you'll make it work somehow." Hermione smiled a little sadly.

"I hope so, Dad. I hope so." Her parents were right. Whether she liked it or not, she had to talk to Draco – and soon.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi, everyone. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out - the last two weeks have been really rough for me for a number of reasons, & I just kind of lost my spark - for pretty much everything, not just writing. I have my birthday buddy to thank for making things better - at work, we choose buddies from a hat to anonymously treat on their birthdays, & my buddy made me an entire HP-themed display! Cupcakes with lightning bolts & brooms on them, 'magic wands' (chocolate-covered pretzels), & a gift bag filled with HP goodies. It was a bit belated (my birthday was Dec. 1), but it absolutely made my day & made everything so much better. So...here I am. :D**

 **Lots to think about in this chapter - Muggle friends certainly do complicate planning a Wizarding wedding! Hopefully Draco & Hermione can work something out...**

 **Thank you all for your support of this story. Every follow, favorite, & review makes me smile, truly, so thank you all so, so much.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	13. Heart-to-Heart

Hermione took her parents' advice and wrote to Draco as soon as she'd returned to Hogwarts, stopping by the Owlery to send off her note before retiring for the night. She slept badly, tossing and turning and wondering what Draco's opinion of this new development would be, or if it was even a new idea to him at all. Though she knew it was silly, a small part of her couldn't help but think that the Muggle-wizard conundrum had the potential to throw a serious wrench into things.

Fortunately, the barn owl returned with Draco's response the following morning. His workload that weekend was light, he wrote, and so he had some time to come up to the castle either that day or the next, whichever suited her best. Not wanting to feel like she'd told him to drop everything immediately, Hermione suggested the following afternoon and sent the owl on its way.

Later that day, Hermione reflected that perhaps she should've suggested a sooner meeting after all. She was starting to go crazy thinking of all the horrible things that could go wrong with the upcoming conversation (even if half of them weren't even possible, never mind likely), and she fervently wished she'd been a bit braver and gotten it over with. Aside from informing Professor McGonagall of her visitor – Hogwarts staff members were allowed to have guests, but as a safety measure, they were required to let the headmistress know – Hermione had done nothing productive all day. Even poor Artemis had noticed her mistress' distress, and she meowed pitifully when she realized Hermione wasn't likely to feel better anytime soon.

After yet another terrible night's sleep – _I must look like a raccoon,_ Hermione thought to herself – she managed to keep at least half of her attention on a book for most of the morning, and it wasn't long after lunch that she was on her way down to the main gates to meet Draco. He was staring up at the winged boars that topped the gate's columns, and he smiled widely when he caught sight of his fiancée.

"Hello, love," he said quietly, ducking his head to give her a kiss. Under normal circumstances, that particular tone of voice combined with the kiss might've elicited a very different reaction from Hermione, but she was so distracted by her thoughts that she barely managed a half-hearted greeting in return.

At first, Draco said nothing about Hermione's lack of enthusiasm, thinking perhaps she might be distracted by work or a new book – it was a common occurrence with her, after all. But when they'd made it all the way to the entrance hall without so much as a word from Hermione, Draco began to wonder if something was wrong.

"Hermione?" he asked as they climbed the main staircase. "Is everything alright?"

"What?" Hermione turned to look at him, then quickly turned back. "Yes, yes, everything's fine." Draco raised his eyebrows even though he knew she couldn't see his face, but he guessed whatever was bothering her wasn't something she wanted to discuss out in the open, and so he kept his mouth shut.

Once they were in her private quarters, though, all bets were off.

"Alright, Granger, spill," Draco said. Hermione whirled to face him, her eyes wide and…scared?

"W-what?"

"Something's bothering you," Draco stated. "You're not that bad of a liar, and even though you're not at Slytherin-level when it comes to masking your feelings, you're usually not _this_ openly distressed." Stepping forward to take her hands in his, he added, more softly this time, "What's wrong?"

Perhaps it was due to the fact that this had been at the forefront of her thoughts for days, but Hermione blinked but once before blurting out, "I want to invite my Muggle friends to the wedding." Draco stared at her for a long moment.

"Er…ok?" His response sounded much more like a question than a statement, and for good reason – he was so confused. Why was Hermione stressing so much about wedding invites? "Is there something more to that?" It was just a guess, but it was a good one – Hermione's eyes went even wider, if such a thing were possible, and they seemed to be silently pleading with him to drop the subject, even if they both knew that wasn't going to happen.

"I…I thought…what sort of traditions are performed at Wizarding weddings?" Hermione asked abruptly.

Draco didn't respond right away, instead taking a moment to think over Hermione's two statements – well, a statement and a question, anyway – and how they might be connected. It didn't take long for his sharp mind to connect the dots.

"Oh, Hermione, my love," he sighed, pulling her with him to sink together onto her couch. At first, Hermione refused to look at anything higher than the floor, so Draco tucked a finger under her chin and gently pulled her face up to meet his gaze.

"You're worried about what I'll think of not having a fully Wizarding wedding," he said quietly. Hermione nodded, her expression miserable. Instead of saying anything further, Draco pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. She wasn't crying, but he could tell she felt terrible.

"What made you think I'd have a problem with inviting our Muggle friends?" Draco asked, Hermione's head still tucked into his shoulder. In spite of the situation, Hermione couldn't help but smile a little – he'd said _our_ Muggle friends, not _your._

"You come from generations of purebloods, Draco," she whispered. "I know you did all those Muggle lessons with me and all that, but I couldn't ask you to drop your traditions for something as important as a wedding."

"And that is just one of the many reasons I don't deserve you," Draco mused. "You're too thoughtful, always putting everyone else first." He pulled back from their embrace and nudged Hermione to look at him again.

"Do you really think we're the first couple to encounter this problem?" he asked. "There are plenty of ways to incorporate the Wizarding traditions even with Muggle guests." Hermione looked stunned.

"But…but…what about the magical bond?" she protested. "It's performed during the vows, isn't it?" She clearly remembered that part of both Bill and Fleur's and Harry and Ginny's ceremonies.

"It can be," Draco acknowledged, "but it doesn't have to be. Merlin, Hermione, even if you haven't been to many weddings, I thought you'd know there's some room for flexibility – witches and wizards like to personalize their celebrations just as much as Muggles." He, of course, had never attended a Muggle wedding, but he'd seen enough bridal magazines in the last few weeks to know that there were a _lot_ of options when it came to planning a Muggle wedding. Clothes, venues, flowers, food – virtually everything was customizable, and Wizarding weddings really weren't all that different in that regard.

"We can do whatever we want, my love," Draco said softly. "This is _our_ wedding, so if we want to incorporate traditions from both sides of the spectrum, we can."

"But the bond…" Hermione began.

"Doesn't have to be performed in front of all the guests," Draco cut in gently. "How much do you know about Wizarding marriage bonds, Hermione?"

"Not much," Hermione admitted. "I was so freaked out about what you'd think about all this that I haven't thought much about the traditions themselves." Draco nodded thoughtfully.

"A marriage bond is a beautiful thing," he said. "Sacred, even. No two bonds are the same, because of course no two couples are the same. It doesn't combine the couple's magic, or anything like that, but it…connects the couple, I suppose. It's all a bit hard to explain, especially as I've never really thought about it before."

"I think I understand," Hermione said. "It's like a magical vow, then."

"In a way, yes," Draco agreed. "But my shoddy definition aside, it's…well, it's an important part of a Wizarding wedding, especially when the bride and groom truly do love one another. When arranged marriages were still popular amongst purebloods, they'd use a marriage bond to strengthen the relationship, but those bonds pale in comparison." Hermione nodded.

"If it's that important to you, then we must include it," she said firmly. She picked up a piece of parchment and wrote 'marriage bond' in her neat handwriting. "But if it's not performed during the vows, then when?"

"Whenever we want," Draco replied. "Many couples prefer to perform the bond in private, just because of how intimate a connection it represents. Much like the signing of the marriage certificate, it only requires a few witnesses – that wouldn't be a problem for us, as you chose Ginny as your Matron of Honor, and Theo is my best man. We can, of course, have others there as well, if we want."

"And if we do it that way, we don't even have to explain our absence," Hermione said. "Muggles don't expect to all be there when a couple signs their marriage documents."

"It's settled, then," Draco said. He looked at Hermione fondly. "See, Granger? All that worrying for nothing. Although I would've thought you'd have a little more faith in me, given how much I immersed myself in those lessons of yours."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said quietly. "I do have faith in you, Draco. I just…overthought things, that's all."

"No harm done," Draco said, leaning forward to kiss her gently. "Now, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Hermione tilted her head to one side, looking thoughtful.

"Well, we should probably decide on a date before anything else," she said slowly. "And a location, of course."

"Well, I don't want to have to wait forever to call you my wife," Draco began. "I'd like to be able to do that sooner rather than later." Hermione smiled.

"I'd like that too," she said. "Would this summer be alright? Marrying over the Easter holidays doesn't seem feasible with our schedules – there's too much to plan."

"And we'd have to wait for a proper honeymoon as well," Draco pointed out. "That won't do – I don't know about you, Granger, but I plan to celebrate once we're married." Hermione rolled her eyes but grinned good-naturedly.

"Summer it is, then," Hermione declared, adding that detail to her list. She frowned. "Where?"

This second question took a little more thought than the first. Neither really wanted to get married in a church, a fancy resort seemed excessive when they both wanted a small wedding, and though Hogwarts would've been open to them as alumni, their Muggle guests negated that option as well.

"It's a shame we can't use Hogwarts," Hermione said regretfully. "The grounds are so beautiful when the weather's nice." Draco looked up, his expression suggesting he was considering something.

"If you want an outdoor wedding, we could use Star Cottage," he said. "The grounds are more than big enough, and it doesn't have any Muggle restrictions."

Hermione thought about Draco's suggestion. She hadn't even thought of Star Cottage, to be honest, which was a bit silly considering that both Bill and Fleur and Harry and Ginny had been married at the Weasley family home. Star Cottage's garden wasn't huge, but it was lovely, thanks to Posey's tender care, and Draco's comment about the grounds was definitely accurate – there was plenty of room for a reception.

"I think that sounds perfect, actually," Hermione said. "Posey will be the most comfortable that way as well." Obviously, Posey would have to be invisible to watch their ceremony (an easy enough trick for a house-elf), but while that was a regrettable obstacle they couldn't ignore, excluding her completely definitely wasn't an option.

Time and location settled, the couple fell into easy conversation, catching each other up on their daily activities. Draco stayed for dinner, which they took in Hermione's rooms, and afterwards, Hermione more than made up for her lackluster greeting with an intense snogging session that soon lead to quite a bit more.

"I should probably get going soon," Draco murmured much later, his arm wrapped loosely around Hermione's waist as they lay in her bed. "I know we're adults, but McGonagall still manages to make me feel like a first-year – I don't think I even want to imagine the look on her face if I were to stay the night."

"It's not banned or anything," Hermione said, a slight giggle bubbling from her lips as she imagined the headmistress' best stern expression. "But I understand if you need to be getting home."

"I'll stay next time," Draco promised. "Or you could always come to Star Cottage." Hogwarts staff were, of course, allowed to go home to their families if they weren't on duty – it would be exceedingly difficult to hire teachers if they insisted on staff remaining in the castle at all times – so it wouldn't be against the rules for Hermione to spend a night away.

"I'll keep that in mind," Hermione said. "I'd like to see Posey."

"I'll say hello to her for you, of course."

The couple dressed, and Hermione straightened up her notes for the wedding. Before leaving the suite, Draco took Hermione's face in his palms.

"Thank you, Hermione, for being honest with me today," he said quietly. Hermione nodded.

"I'm glad we got everything sorted – I'm sorry I was so afraid."

"It's alright, love." Draco kissed her sweetly, and after he'd given Artemis one last pat, he reached for the jar of Floo powder on Hermione's fireplace. Flooing into Hogwarts wasn't an option except in emergencies, but Flooing out was doable, and though the Floo wasn't Draco's favorite form of travel, it definitely beat having to walk across the frigid grounds to Apparate away at the gates.

"I'll see you soon," Draco promised. "I love you." Hermione smiled.

"I love you, too." The couple shared one last kiss before Draco dropped the Floo powder and was gone.

Hermione sank to the couch, her eyes shifting to their wedding notes as Artemis jumped into her lap for a cuddle. Though Draco hadn't been able to stay, she still smiled. Their conversation had gone so much better than she'd hoped, and her heart felt lighter for it. For the first time since her fears had set in, she was looking forward to planning her wedding.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy New Year! I apologize for my brief disappearance there - the rest of December was a bit of a disaster, & I spent most of it horrendously sick. Yuck. BUT I'm back now, it's a new year, I'm more than ready to start fresh...& so I give you chapter lucky 13! Lots of Dramione for you.**

 **Thank you all for your kind words, as well as for following/favoriting this story! My readers are wonderful.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	14. An Afternoon at the Puceys'

Draco had only knocked a few moments before when the door opened to reveal Daphne, who smiled widely at the sight of her guest.

"Draco, darling, come in!" she said warmly. Draco returned the smile and kissed her cheek in greeting before removing his coat and hanging it on a peg in the entryway.

"I'm sorry Adrian had to work today," Daphne was saying as she led the way into the main living space. The twins were playing in the far corner of the room, Henry with a portable Quidditch set while Ellie was occupied with a coloring book. Draco smiled softly at the sight of the children – Adrian and Daphne had taken to parenthood like ducks to water, and he hoped the children understood just how loved and treasured they were.

"Daph, don't be silly," he reassured her. "I just saw Adrian last week; you know it's you I've come to visit this time." Daphne chuckled and shook her head.

"It is rather strange, isn't it?" she asked. "That we ended up friends, I mean. We barely spoke two words to one another in our first years at Hogwarts."

"That's because you didn't get along with Pansy, and Pansy was stuck to me like a Niffler to gold," Draco replied dryly. He certainly didn't like admitting it, of course, but it was the truth. "But you're right, of course – circumstances changed quite a bit."

"I don't think you'd be marrying Hermione if they hadn't," Daphne said. There was, of course, no refuting that statement – pre-war Draco would've hexed anyone who even suggested the idea of him marrying outside the Sacred Twenty-Eight, never mind a Muggle-born. Not only was Hermione a Muggle-born, but she was basically the poster child for everyone of her blood status, as well as best friend to Draco's childhood nemesis. Circumstances, indeed.

"Lunch is almost ready," Daphne informed him then. "And no, I didn't make it," she added, glaring at Draco as he snorted with laughter. "Muffin did, so stop your laughing or you won't get any at all!" Muffin was the Puceys' house-elf, who'd been with Daphne since she was a small child. As Daphne was incapable of making even a sandwich without risking setting the house on fire, Adrian did most of the cooking, with Muffin taking over when he wasn't available.

"Mummy, did you say Mr. Draco won't get any lunch?" a small voice asked. Draco and Daphne looked down to see Henry, who'd apparently abandoned his Quidditch set in favor of investigating the new arrival, looking back up at them, his bright blue eyes wide with curiosity.

"I was only joking, my love," Daphne replied, scooping Henry up into her arms for a hug. "Mr. Draco is going to join us for lunch, would you like that?" Henry looked at Daphne, and upon deciding that she hadn't really been serious about depriving Draco of food, nodded.

"Yes, Mummy." Daphne smiled.

"There's my good boy. Now, Mummy has to go check on lunch – it should be almost ready, but why don't you show Mr. Draco your Quidditch game while you wait? I'm sure he'd like that." Henry looked up at Draco.

"I would like that," Draco agreed, crouching down to Henry's level. "Did you know that I played Quidditch at school?" The little boy's eyes widened.

 _"Really?"_ he breathed, as if this were the most amazing thing he'd ever heard. Draco nodded.

"I did. I played Seeker starting in my second year."

"So you got to catch the Snitch?" Henry asked. He hadn't even noticed that Daphne had already left the room, so enthralled was he by Draco's newest revelation.

"Why don't you show me your Quidditch set?" Draco asked. Henry nodded excitedly and hurried back over to the corner where his toy was set up. It was a wonderful set, Draco noticed as he took it in, and designed to grow with the owner. Younger children (or those who just preferred to watch) could use the setting for automatic play, in which the Quidditch figurines would play a match all on their own, while more advanced users could play themselves. From what Draco could see, Henry only had two teams at the moment, but he knew that there were other teams available for purchase as well, and he suspected it wouldn't be long before his godson had the entire collection.

"I have the Magpies, and the Arrows," Henry announced, pointing to each team in turn. The player likenesses were remarkable, and the detail was excellent – each figurine looked exactly like a current member of the aforementioned squads. After showing Draco a few of his favorite players – no doubt learned from Adrian, who was a Magpies fan himself – Henry asked, "Do you want to play?"

"Of course I'll play," Draco replied. He'd had a similar set as a child, and Henry's toy was bringing back fond memories of days spent simulating match after match. "But your mum's going to have lunch ready soon, so maybe we should just let the teams play." Henry was also a bit too young to understand the advanced features that would allow for interactive gameplay, but Draco didn't want to upset him by suggesting there was something he couldn't do. Thankfully, Henry readily agreed to his suggestion, and the two were soon settled on the floor, their backs against the couch as they watched the Magpies and the Arrows battle it out.

"Goal!" Henry cheered when the Magpies Chaser shot the Quaffle through the left hoop. The Arrows' Keeper had made a good effort, but the diving save had come just a fraction too late.

"Ah, but the Arrows are still up, my friend," Draco told him, pointing to the miniature scoreboard, which indicated that the Arrows were ahead by two goals. "Your Magpies are going to have to work hard to catch up!"

"They'll win, you'll see!" Henry declared. Draco chuckled at the little boy's enthusiasm. He then felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to see Ellie standing beside him, a piece of paper in her hands.

"I made this for you, Mr. Draco," she said quietly, handing him the paper. It was a picture from her coloring book – a unicorn. The body of the creature was shaded completely in bright, sparkly pink crayon, and the horn was an equally glittery purple hue. Ellie hadn't quite mastered coloring in the lines, but she'd obviously put in a lot of effort nonetheless, and Draco was touched.

"Thank you, Ellie," he said, taking the picture from her to look closer. "It's wonderful. But could you sign your name on it for me? All great artists always sign their work, you know, and I want everyone to know that _you_ made this for me." Ellie's cheeks pinked and she nodded shyly, accepting the drawing back as Draco held it out to her. Ellie was a little more reserved than her brother and had taken more time to accept and understand her new surroundings, but she was slowly warming up to Draco, and she was a very sweet little girl. Ellie went back to her drawing table and considered her crayons before selecting a green one, with which she painstakingly wrote her name. She then brought the picture back to Draco.

"It's perfect," he said, offering her a smile. "I'll have to find somewhere special to hang it." And he meant it, too – never had Draco thought that children would play such a big role in his life, especially not so young, but his godchildren had quickly burrowed their way into his heart, and he knew that he would do anything for them.

A slight clearing of a throat reached their ears, and the three on the floor turned to see Daphne smiling at them.

"Lunch is ready, darlings," she said. "Go on and wash up, now." Henry and Ellie quickly hurried to do as their mother said, and Draco hauled himself up from the floor and showed Ellie's picture to Daphne before carefully tucking it into his pocket.

"Was there ever any doubt that you'd be a great mum, Daph?" he asked quietly. Daphne just smiled, her eyes looking suspiciously watery, and hugged him briefly before motioning towards the dining room.

Although lunch was just a simple fare of soup and sandwiches, it was a lively affair, with Henry telling Daphne all about the match he and Draco had been "watching", and Ellie shyly but surely describing the princess picture she'd decided to color next. Draco and Daphne could hardly get a word in edgewise, but neither minded – moments like this one were precious and should be treasured at every opportunity.

"Alright, my loves," Daphne finally said. "Mummy wants to be able to spend some time with Draco, so why don't you clear your places and go play?"

"Aww, but Mummy!" Henry protested. "We were in the middle of a Quidditch game!"

"We'll finish the game before we leave," Draco promised. "But right now, I'd like to talk to your mum for a little bit – is that ok with you, Henry?"

"Mr. Draco is Mummy's friend," Ellie reminded her brother, her soft, almost musical voice sounding very wise just then. Henry bit his lip as if in thought before nodding slowly.

"You're right, Ellie," he said. "Mr. Draco is Mummy's friend…so Mummy should be able to talk to Mr. Draco."

"We'll be very close by if you need us," Daphne promised. The children seemed ok with that and quietly cleaned up their lunch things before hurrying off to, Draco presumed, either the playroom or their bedrooms. The two young adults returned to the living room and settled down to chat.

"How's the wedding planning?" Daphne asked as she curled up in her favorite armchair.

"It's going fairly well," Draco replied, "although poor Hermione was a wreck the last time I talked to her."

"Is she having trouble with something?" Daphne asked, looking concerned.

"Not the plans, no, but she was worried when it occurred to her that having Muggle guests would impede our ability to work magical traditions into the ceremony," Draco explained. "She felt that she was taking those traditions away from me and that I wouldn't be ok with that."

"Oh, the poor girl – Hermione is too good for you," Daphne declared. Draco chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"No need to tell me that, Daph," he said. "I already knew she was way out of my league."

"Is she alright now?"  
"She is – we talked about it, and I think she felt much better once she realized that the magical aspects of the ceremony don't have to be performed in front of all the guests," Draco explained. "The only real issue is the marriage bond, which, as you know, can be performed whenever the couple desires – everything else will run just like a Muggle wedding, so our guest list won't be a problem."

"That's good to hear," Daphne said. "Obviously I haven't met any of Hermione's Muggle friends, but I've heard all about them from Astoria, and they seem like lovely people. You want the most important people in your lives at your wedding, and it sounds like they're very important to Hermione."

"To me as well," Draco added. "I'm not as close with some of them as she is, but I've developed good relationships with a few of them."

"How long is your guest list?" Daphne asked.

"Not long at all – neither of us wants a big wedding, so it'll just be family and close friends."

"And the press? We both know neither of you can avoid this wedding being in the spotlight, no matter how hard you try – you're both too prominent in Wizarding Britain."

"Well, Hermione has her agreement with the press – only certain reporters are allowed to even write about her at all, and they can't do so without her express permission," Draco told her. "Thankfully, two of those reporters are decent friends of hers anyway, so they'll be the ones to cover the wedding."

"That was a smart move on her part, getting that agreement," Daphne mused. "Merlin knows her every move would be in the papers otherwise."

"And she's had more than enough of that," Draco agreed. "The press printed more than enough rubbish about her during her Hogwarts years."

"Plenty of which _you_ were responsible for," Daphne reminded him shrewdly. After all, as Harry Potter's nemesis, Draco had been the ringleader of the little gang that had provided Rita Skeeter with a veritable gold mine of information on 'the Chosen One' and his friends. Slandering their enemies had been far more important at the time than providing _truthful_ information, and Harry and Hermione in particular had taken the brunt of it.

"Yes, yes, I know, there's no need to remind me of what a little shite I was at school," Draco said. "But don't forget there was plenty printed about her, Potter, and the others after that as well, when the Ministry was doing their damnedest to discredit the lot of them. Then, of course, that same Ministry tried to put them all up on pedestals when they actually did something instead of hiding under their beds like the rest of the Wizarding world – Hermione might've accepted the Order of Merlin, but she wasn't about to give them power over her anywhere else if she could help it."

"No, she doesn't seem the type to let them do that," Daphne agreed. "But we're straying off topic here – we were talking about the wedding, not the Wizarding world's abysmal press practices." Draco chuckled.

"Fair enough," he said. "What else do you want to know? We've set the date for this summer, and the wedding will be held at Star Cottage, but other than that, we haven't gone over too many details yet. Actually, I told Hermione that most of it was up to her – I obviously don't have anything to do with choosing her dress, and I don't have a color scheme preference as long as my wedding doesn't end up looking like the Gryffindor common room." Daphne laughed.

"And while she's fond of her house, she's also fond of you, so I don't think there's a chance of her choosing such a color scheme just to spite you," she said. "Besides, didn't you say Ginny Potter is her Matron of Honor? The wedding photos would look rather unsightly if she made Ginny wear red."

"I always did wonder why none of the Weasleys ever begged to be Sorted differently, given how horribly Gryffindor's colors clash with their own coloring," Draco said, causing Daphne to chuckle again. The Weasleys might've gotten lucky with their school uniforms, as those were mostly black, but so many of them had played Quidditch, and Gryffindor's Quidditch robes were a vivid scarlet that really didn't work with the trademark flaming Weasley hair.

"In any case, I think you're safe from a Gryffindor wedding," Daphne reassured him. "Hermione wouldn't do that to her best girlfriend."

"Perhaps you should contact Hermione yourself, if you're so interested in the details of the wedding," Draco suggested. Daphne frowned a little.

"Would she be alright with that?" she asked hesitantly. "We know each other, of course, but we're hardly close like she is with my sister…"

"Daph, you've already said yourself that Hermione is too good for me," Draco interrupted. "She's too good because she's willing to give everyone a chance – if you wrote her, I'm sure she'd write back. Besides, it's high time my fiancée had the chance to get to know my family, don't you think?" Daphne stared at him, clearly speechless.

"Family?" she whispered.

"Of course – Daphne, you can't possibly think otherwise? You are my family in all but blood – of course, Sacred Twenty-Eight families are all so intertwined that there might be blood involved too, but that's not the point. I wouldn't have made it through seventh year without you and Theo – I wouldn't. You two, your husband, and your sister are far more than just my friends – Theo is my best man because I've known him the longest, but I fully expect the rest of you in the seats designated for family at my wedding. It wouldn't be right otherwise."

"Oh, Draco," Daphne said quietly. She rose from her chair and hugged him tightly, Draco returning the embrace with equal affection.

"You guys are family in every way that matters," he said softly. Daphne just nodded, not trusting her ability to speak. She'd known for years that Draco held them all in very high regard, but it was rare that he outwardly expressed such sentiments, and she wasn't sure he'd ever directly referred to them as 'family'. What with all they'd been through together, there could be no higher praise, of that she was sure.

"We'll occupy that front row with pride," Daphne whispered once she'd gotten her emotions under control.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Draco said as they took their seats once more. He paused, thought for a moment, and added, "I think that might give me more family guests than Hermione, actually – her grandparents are all deceased and she's the only child of only children, so on her side it's just her parents, Potter, and the elder Weasleys, the latter of whom are basically her parents in the Wizarding world. The rest of the Weasleys are sitting in the regular guest seats because there are so many of them."

"That's five people," Daphne counted. "I only count five on your side as well – myself, Tori, Adrian, and the twins."

"You've forgotten my aunt Andromeda and her grandson, my cousin's son," Draco reminded her. While he was by no means close with his mother's sister, he and Hermione had been to visit a handful of times, and the elder witch was willing to reconnect with the only family she had left. She knew of Draco's past, of course, but thanks to her exile from the family, she hardly knew Draco himself at all, and she'd been willing to give her nephew a chance. She and Teddy belonged in that front row.

"I'm sorry," Daphne apologized. "But you're absolutely right – and that gives you seven family members, a most magical number indeed." Neither mentioned Lucius, and neither ever would – Lucius' involvement in the group responsible for Narcissa's death had ensured him not only life in Azkaban, but also his permanent removal from Draco's life as well.

"Everything about this wedding is already quite magical, isn't it?" Draco mused. Daphne laughed merrily.

"To quote my sister, 'Draco, you're sounding like a Hufflepuff'!" Her smile softened as she added, "But you're right – this wedding is going to be utterly magical, in every sense of the word."

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter just didn't want to cooperate for a while - although I absolutely loved writing the twins!**

 **Thank you all for your support since the last update - follows, faves, reviews, or just reading, I appreciate it!**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	15. Say Yes to the Dress

On the first weekend in March, Hermione buttoned her coat against the late winter chill and left her suite, double-checking to be sure she had everything before departing the castle. As she didn't have patrol duty today, she'd scheduled an appointment for one of the most important things on her to-do list: preliminary wedding dress hunting. Hermione was nervous but excited – even she, who hadn't really thought about her own wedding much as a child, had occasionally fantasized about herself in that perfect dress, even more so since Draco had proposed. Luckily, everyone who needed to accompany her on this all-important trip were available that day, and so it was with a spring in her step that Hermione set off for her first destination: Hogsmeade.

The first order of business was breakfast with Ginny Potter at The Dragon and the Unicorn, the café at which Hermione's friends had surprised her on the eve of her first day as a Hogwarts professor. Hermione had frequented the establishment several times since – their food really was divine – but hadn't yet had the chance to breakfast there, and she was looking forward to it very much. The High Street wasn't yet crowded, and Hermione easily made her way to the side street that housed the café, where she found her best girlfriend waiting for her.

"Ginny!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the petite redhead for a hug. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"I wouldn't miss today for the world!" Ginny replied. "Even if I'd had training, I'd have skipped somehow – this is more important."

"Gin!" Hermione protested, but she smiled all the same. All of a sudden, the day's agenda had her incredibly excited, and she couldn't wait to get started.

"Shall we?" Ginny opened the door and the two friends stepped into the café, where they were soon seated at a table near the fireplace.

"I'm craving pancakes this morning," Ginny announced before she'd even opened her menu. Her eyes widened as they took in the long list of options for things to add to the pancakes, and she spent several minutes muttering to herself as she debated her choices. Hermione, having already settled on her own breakfast, just laughed lightly at her friend's antics. Ron wasn't the only Weasley who loved food.

"Blueberries," Ginny decided at last. She nodded sharply and closed her menu, and Hermione signaled to the waitress that they were ready. Once they placed their orders, they sat back to talk.

"So," Ginny said. "It's the big day! Have you given any thought to what you want?"

"I'm not really sure," Hermione admitted. "I've flipped through a few magazines, of course, but there are so many options! And of course, it's not like I've had dozens of opportunities to wear anything similar, so I don't have a solid idea of what works for me and what doesn't. I've seen a few things I liked and didn't like, but aside from that, I'm at a loss."

"At least you have a starting point – the things you liked and didn't," Ginny told her. "And you can always try on a few different silhouettes to get a better idea of what you like there, too – with your figure, you'll look fantastic in anything, so it'll come down to personal preference."

"Oh, stop!" Hermione said, her face bright pink.

"It's true!" Ginny replied. "I'm too short for some things, but you're neither too short nor too tall, and you're neither too curvy nor too flat. You'll have loads of options."

"And I need to come up with a color palette, too," Hermione added with a slight frown. "How are we supposed to look for your dress if I don't even know what color to put you in?"

"As long as it's not red or orange," Ginny laughed. "I'll look like I'm on fire – unless that's what you want, of course. Maybe a phoenix-themed wedding? Oh goodness…" Both girls dissolved into giggles.

"Draco said that as long as the wedding doesn't look like the Gryffindor common room, he doesn't have specific color preferences," Hermione noted once she'd calmed down. Ginny looked thoughtful.

"Is there anything you know you want to be part of the wedding that might help us pick a color?" she asked. "Your flowers, or-"

"Oh, of course!" Hermione gasped. "I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before, but I knew from the start I want lilies in my bouquet – stargazers."

"Which ones are they?" Ginny asked.

"They're mostly pink, but the outside edges are white. Here – I think I have a picture." Hermione opened the folder containing her wedding notes and extracted a small picture of her chosen flower.

"Oh, they're lovely," Ginny said, nodding approvingly.

"I know they're not necessarily unique, but they've always been my favorite flower, and they smell wonderful," Hermione said.

"And that's the important part – it's your wedding, so you should have flowers you like." Ginny looked at the picture once more. "I'm sure we can find a color to complement the pink."

"Sounds good to me," Hermione agreed. "You're the expert."

"Perhaps, but this is _your_ wedding, not mine – and besides, you were there for practically all of my wedding planning, so you know just as much as I do. Promise me you'll be sure to have the final say in things? Even if you think I'm the 'expert', this is your day, and I want it to be what _you_ want." Hermione smiled softly.

"I promise."

The food arrived then, and the girls said nothing for a few minutes as they dug into their breakfasts. They were delighted to learn that the café did breakfast just as well as it did lunch – the food was delicious.

"It's probably a good thing I can't come up here whenever I want," Ginny commented after she'd swallowed a forkful of pancakes. "I'd be too fat to play Quidditch in less than a week!" Hermione giggled.

"Given how much food you Weasleys can put away, I doubt it, but I get what you mean. This place is incredible."

"We're meeting our mums right at the shop, yeah?" Ginny asked then. Hermione nodded.

"Yes. My mum isn't fond of Wizarding transport, so she's driving straight there, and I told your mum to just meet us there as well." As the elder Weasleys were practically a second set of parents to Hermione, she'd insisted that Molly be there today alongside her own mother, a request that had brought tears to the Weasley matriarch's eyes.

"We should probably get going soon," Hermione said as she checked her watch. "We don't want to be late!" The girls paid for their meals, left the shop, and consulted the directions to activate the Portkey Hermione had received from the wedding boutique. After ensuring both she and Ginny had a firm hold of the little statuette, Hermione whispered the provided incantation, and the two friends were whisked into nothing.

The Portkey deposited them in an alley alongside a small stone building that they guessed must be the boutique. When they rounded the corner, they saw their mothers standing underneath a sign reading 'Juliette's Bridal'. They were in the right place.

"Mum!" Hermione hurried forward and embraced her mother, then did the same to Mrs. Weasley. Ginny also offered her own hugs and well wishes, and the newly formed quartet entered the bridal shop, a little bell jingling overhead as the door opened and shut behind them.

Juliette's Bridal wasn't very big, but it was brightly lit and welcoming, with comfortable chairs and a cozy atmosphere. Hermione liked it at once. She'd given quite a bit of thought to where she might purchase her wedding gown, and while she'd considered a number of boutiques, this one had something many of the others did not: both Muggle and Wizarding clientele. While many of the most renowned Wizarding boutiques had been in business for years, their designers weren't necessarily in touch with the Muggle side of things, and Hermione would stick out like a sore thumb in a decidedly old-fashioned dress. However, she felt that choosing a purely Muggle boutique would limit her as well, as she wouldn't be able to mention her magical heritage to anyone in the shop. Juliette's was the ideal middle ground – the owner was much younger than 'the best of the best' in the Wizarding world, but she'd studied both cultures' fashions extensively, and her work had received excellent reviews. Hopefully, Hermione would find what she was looking for here.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" The speaker was a young woman with dark blonde hair and trendy-looking glasses. "Do you have an appointment?"

"I do," Hermione replied, suddenly feeling a little nervous again. "My name is Hermione Granger."

"Welcome, Hermione! My name is Emily – if you need anything, just let me know. I'll let Juliette know you're here." Emily headed off for a back room while Hermione took a seat between her mother and Ginny.

"Relax, sweetheart," her mother whispered. "Everything will be just fine." Hermione managed a smile, appreciating her mother's effort.

Juliette Gardner was a tall, willowy woman in her early thirties, with dark hair tied back in a loose bun. She warmly introduced herself to Hermione's entire party and congratulated Hermione on her engagement before guiding them into a back room to talk.

"We like to offer our clients some privacy while we talk, especially if magic is on the table," she explained. "We'd have some explaining to do if our Muggle clients caught us discussing charm work!" Hermione laughed at that, feeling more at ease now that she'd gotten the introductions out of the way. Neither Emily nor Juliette had gushed over the fact that their client was "the" Hermione Granger, and Hermione appreciated that – she hated being treated like a celebrity on a normal day and really hadn't wanted to deal with such a thing today either. As she took a seat, Hermione noted the changing area in the back of the room – if she desired it, her consultation would be completely private.

"Now, did you have anything specific in mind, Hermione, or are we starting from scratch?" Juliette asked.

"I'm not really sure," Hermione admitted. "I have a few vague ideas of what I like and don't like, but for most of it, I don't know."

"That's perfectly fine – we can go over the basic options first, silhouette and things like that, so we can get an idea of what looks good, what you like, narrow it down a bit. Once we have that, we can move on to the details." Juliette pulled out a large binder and placed it on the table so everyone could see, and the search began.

Less than twenty minutes later, Hermione was feeling quite overwhelmed. She'd known that her options were numerous, but she hadn't even imagined how many choices she'd have to make! Styles, fabrics, trims, decorations, accessories…the list seemed endless, and Hermione wondered how on earth she was supposed to decide. And were there really _that_ many shades of white? Dear Merlin…

"It seems I've given you a bit too much to think about," Juliette said with a knowing smile. "Perhaps we should just try a few dresses on, see if we can't narrow it down that way?" Hermione nodded weakly, and Juliette stepped from the room, returning shortly with a large rolling rack filled with dresses.

"Up you go," Juliette instructed, gesturing to the raised dais framed by mirrors in the far corner. "Let me get your measurements."

"Doesn't that come after I choose the dress?" Hermione wondered, a little confused.

"A more complete measuring, yes – but if I get your basics now, I can magically alter the dresses you try on so that you can get a realistic idea of how they fit," Juliette explained. "The final dress will be hand sewn – I find it's much more durable and reliable than complete magical construction – but tailoring by magic is alright, and these are just samples. It won't hurt them." Hermione nodded in understanding, and Juliette pulled out a tape measure, which began flitting this way and that around Hermione's form. Hermione smiled, the animated tape reminding her of her very first trip to Madam Malkin's for school robes.

"That's enough for now," Juliette commanded the tape, which fell still and dropped into a neat coil on the floor. "Now, let's see what we can find…"

They decided to examine the different styles first – Juliette had agreed with Ginny's assessment that Hermione could, in theory, pull off any silhouette she wanted, so it really would come down to her personal preference. The first dress Juliette pulled was a classic ball gown, its wide, sweeping skirts bedazzled with little crystals. Hermione immediately thought of Cinderella and wondered if the dress came with glass slippers. Once she got the dress on, however, she pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side as she surveyed herself in the mirror. It didn't look as nice on her as it had on the hanger.

"I feel like a small child playing dress-up," she finally said, turning to face the others. In particular, she felt dwarfed by the skirt, which seemed much larger now that she actually had the dress on. "Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely dress…I just don't think it's for me." Juliette studied Hermione critically.

"I agree," she said. "It's lovely, but something's not quite right. Perhaps not the best choice for a garden wedding, either." They had, of course, gone over what few details Hermione and Draco had settled on during their initial talk, so Juliette knew of the wedding's outdoor location.

"Next, then."

They continued in this vein for quite some time, Juliette pulling different options off the rack (sometimes summoning them magically, Hermione noted) while Hermione tried them on. Ginny and their mothers offered their own thoughts on each choice, and Hermione began to get a better idea of what she was looking for. She still had yet to find "the one", but at least she'd crossed off a few styles and fabrics.

"Keep in mind that if you like elements from multiple different dresses, I can always combine them into a custom dress," Juliette reminded her. "That does take a bit more time, but as your wedding isn't until July, as long as you don't wait until June to make your final choices, I can get it done." Hermione sank to the sofa for a much-needed breather, still clad in the latest dress, a form-fitting sheath that clung to her every curve.

"I do think I might need more time," she said apologetically, looking to the others in the room. "I'm sorry – I know how difficult it was to get all of you here today…"

"Nonsense, dear," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "This is your special day, so you shouldn't rush. If you need more time, then you should take it."

"It took me several trips to find my own dress," Hermione's mother added. "And I never once regretted it, because I loved the end result. Nothing says you have to make your decision right now."

"I already told you I'd skip Quidditch practice if it conflicted with finding your dress," Ginny said with a shrug. "I still stand by that statement, you know."

"Oh, what did I do to deserve all of you wonderful people in my life?" Hermione asked softly, her eyes watering a little. "You're all too kind."

"We just want you to be happy, Hermione," her mother said. "Like Mrs. Weasley said, this is your wedding, and we want it to be everything _you_ want it to be."

"I'd be happy to book you a second appointment for whenever you're available," Juliette offered, "and in the meantime, I can give you some samples to take home so that you can go through them at your own pace."

"I'd like that, thank you," Hermione said gratefully. "I just…wasn't expecting so much, I guess. Perhaps if I have the samples, I'll be able to come in next time with some more concrete ideas – and I'll know what to expect."

"Then it sounds like it's settled." With a wave of her wand, Juliette Summoned a sample binder, prepared with the day's findings in mind. She added a second binder to the first, this one filled with options for Ginny.

"We can take care of everything at your next appointment," Juliette said as she handed the binders to Hermione. "Just be sure not to take too long to schedule so that we have enough time to get everything ready."

"I won't," Hermione promised. "Thank you so much for everything, Juliette. You've been so patient with me today!" Juliette chuckled.

"You're far from the worst bride I've ever seen, Hermione," she said. "You still might not know what you're after, but you have far more options than someone who's particularly picky!"

"I suppose you're right," Hermione said with a smile. "Still, thank you. I'll be seeing you very soon." Juliette shook hands with the women and bid them farewell.

"You made a promising start today, dear, even if you don't think so," Mrs. Weasley said as they exited the boutique. "Now, I'd say after all that hard work, it's time for some lunch. Shall we?"

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry, guys - I know I left you all hanging there for a while. I promise I will finish this story. For those of you who've been following my stories for a while now, you might know that, with very few exceptions, I basically uploaded once a week for 3 years straight...that's a lot, & I'm a bit burnt out as a result. So, please forgive me if chapters don't come quite as frequently - I'll try not to leave it for too long.**

 **Also, if anyone has suggestions/ideas of anything they'd like to see in this story - whether it's related to the wedding, the carnival, or something else - please let me know. I don't have much of a plan for this one except the endgame (i.e. the wedding), so I can work in pretty much anything.**

 **Thank you all for your support of this story, your kind messages, etc. You're the best.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	16. The Burrow

"Why won't this stupid thing sit straight?" Draco muttered to himself as he adjusted his tie for the millionth time. He'd been fussing with it for close to ten minutes now, but no matter what he did, he wasn't satisfied when he looked in the mirror. He huffed under his breath and considered just yanking the damn thing off…but no, then his look would be incomplete.

"Draco, do you need some help, love?" Hermione asked, amusement in her voice.

"I'm fine, Granger," Draco said, but he nevertheless allowed Hermione to take hold of the scrap of fabric now hanging uselessly around his neck. Carefully, she looped the silk around itself, tightened the knot, and straightened it under his collar.

"There," she said. "All set." She lifted her gaze from the tie to meet Draco's eyes and studied him carefully.

"You don't have to do this, you know," she said quietly. "I understand if it's too much-"

"No, Hermione," Draco interrupted, his use of her given name letting her know that he was serious. "You've met and spent time with my friends – my family in all but blood – on more than one occasion, and it's only fair that I do the same for you." They were at Star Cottage preparing for dinner at the Weasley family home – Molly, knowing that a bridal shower involving Wizarding gifts would be impossible given Hermione's Muggle friends, had invited the couple over for a celebratory evening. Hermione had been shocked when Draco had agreed to attend – even she couldn't deny that the Weasleys could be overwhelming at times, and she'd known them for years – but she appreciated the gesture all the same. Even now, although his eyes betrayed how nervous he was, he was still adamant about keeping his word, and she loved him all the more for it.

"It'll just be the Weasleys and their spouses," Hermione reminded him as she checked her hair one last time and grabbed her purse. "And even then, they might not all come – I remember Bill saying Victoire was feeling under the weather last week." Draco couldn't keep all the Weasleys straight and therefore couldn't place either of those names for the life of him, so he just nodded absentmindedly and checked to make sure he had everything. They said goodbye to Posey and locked up the house, and after one last confirmation from Hermione, they clasped hands and Apparated.

They appeared at the edge of the lane leading up to the Burrow, and Hermione smiled softly at Draco before leading the way up to the front door. She tapped lightly on the frame and pushed it open, calling, "Mrs. Weasley? It's Hermione."

"Hermione, dear, come in!" Mrs. Weasley said, hurrying to greet them. She hugged Hermione and added, "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't need to knock?" Hermione smiled sheepishly.

"At least once more, it seems."

"Nonsense. You're family here, you know that. And Draco, dear, welcome!" Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly and, sensing that Draco might not be comfortable with a full-on hug, instead gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. He appreciated the gesture – Slytherins weren't completely cold-hearted, of course, but they weren't nearly as openly affectionate as Gryffindors, especially not with people they hardly knew.

"Make yourself right at home," she said. "Ginny and Bill are here, and the others should be along soon, although Percy said he might be working late." She glanced at the clock behind her, which Draco could see showed not the time but the various locations of each member of the Weasley family, and sighed a little as she shook her head. "That boy works too hard," she muttered to herself before turning back to her guests. "Anyway, dinner will be a little bit, but there are plenty of snacks out if you're hungry."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Draco said, speaking for the first time since their arrival. "And…thank you for having me here today, in spite of everything."

"Nonsense, dear," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "There'll be none of that – leave the past in the past and have a fresh start, yeah?"

"I…alright, then." Draco was still surprised that the matriarch of the family he'd caused such grief during his school years was willing to give him a clean slate, but he wasn't about to argue. Molly Weasley might not look like much, especially not with flour in her hair and an old apron covering her plump form, but he'd seen firsthand how formidable she was with a wand.

"You alright?" Hermione whispered as she led the way into the sitting room.

"Yeah," Draco replied, and he meant it.

As Mrs. Weasley had mentioned, Ginny and Harry were already there, as was Bill – Draco swallowed heavily when he saw the eldest Weasley son's scarred face, the realization that Bill was the one who'd been savaged by Greyback the night of Dumbledore's death washing over him like a bucket of ice water. Sat beside Bill was a stunning young woman with silvery hair who looked somewhat familiar, a little girl at her feet.

"Hello, everyone!" Hermione chirped. "Oh, Victoire, sweetie, I'm so glad you're feeling better!" The little girl looked up and smiled shyly.

"Thank you, Auntie 'Mione," she said, her voice clear and sweet. Hermione crouched to kiss the little girl's head.

"It's good to see you, love," she said. Standing upright again, she addressed the others. "Bill, Fleur, it's good to see you as well."

"Likewise," Bill said with a grin as he accepted Hermione's hug. "How are things at Hogwarts, Professor Granger?"

"Oh, stop," Hermione laughed. "I've been busy, but things are going well." She motioned Draco forward. "I don't believe either of you have ever formally met my fiancé, Draco Malfoy?"

"Can't say that I have," Bill replied. He offered his hand to Draco, and the two men shook. "You're taking good care of her, then?" he asked.

"As best I can, sir," Draco replied. Bill laughed heartily.

"No need for formalities," he insisted. "Just 'Bill' will do. As long as you understand that Hermione is family to us, and therefore if you hurt her, you deal with all of us, we're good."

"Understood."

"Eet ees a pleasure to meet you, Draco," the unknown young woman said next. "I am Fleur, Bill's wife." Draco correctly identified her slight French accent, suddenly recalling why she seemed so familiar – she'd been the Beauxbatons champion in the Triwizard Tournament.

"Victoire – that's this little cutie – is their daughter, and their younger daughter Dominique is probably napping, if I'm guessing correctly," Hermione said with a glance at Fleur. Fleur nodded.

"'Opefully she weell be 'appier during deener because of eet," she said. "Domi is very dependent on 'er naps."

"Let her be – I wish I had more time to nap sometimes!" Hermione declared, causing everyone to laugh. Hermione then greeted Harry and Ginny, and the group fell into what Draco found to be surprisingly easy conversation. Like Mrs. Weasley had done, Bill insisted there was no need for apologies when Draco tried to mention Greyback's attack, and Draco found the older man to be very interesting, full of exciting stories of his adventures working as a curse breaker in Egypt.

Over the course of the next half an hour or so, the remaining Weasleys arrived: George, who heralded his arrival with some sort of product that whizzed and popped all around the room like a miniature firework; Percy, whom Draco vaguely remembered as a rule-loving prefect and Head Boy; Ron, who greeted Draco surprisingly civilly; and Mr. Weasley, who welcomed Draco into his home with all the warmth that his wife had earlier. Hermione beamed when she saw how accepting the Weasleys were all being, as well as how well Draco seemed to be handling the whole situation – of course, he was exceptionally good at hiding discomfort, but Hermione had gotten equally good at reading him, and unless she was very much mistaken, he was doing alright.

If he had to be completely honest, Draco _was_ a little uncomfortable – he was insanely outnumbered, and of course he still didn't fully understand why they were all ignoring the giant hippogriff in the room. However, he wasn't nearly as on edge as he'd been before they'd left Star Cottage. It was hard to be nervous when everyone around him was so…well, _nice._ Like so many times before, he now felt ashamed of himself for blindly accepting everything his father said without bothering to learn the world for himself. Yes, his father had been absolutely right in saying that the Weasleys were poor, Draco could see that just by looking around the room – the furniture was worn and mismatched, most of the books lining the corner shelf were clearly secondhand, and there were certainly no priceless antiques on display. But "poor" didn't necessarily equal "bad", and Draco could see that in the lovingly handmade blanket Ginny had wrapped herself in as she snuggled into Harry's side, the countless family photos lining the mantelpiece, and Bill's hearty laughter as George gave the punchline of a bawdy joke. Even the house itself, which Hermione had told him was called the Burrow, contributed to the picture, its warm and cozy atmosphere welcoming anyone who cared to stop by. It was a ramshackle building, haphazardly constructed and most certainly held together by magic, a far cry from the luxurious mansion that had been Malfoy Manor…and yet, Draco knew without a doubt which one felt more like a home.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley called then, and there was a mad scramble towards the kitchen. The scrubbed wooden table, flanked by two long benches on either side and a single chair at each end, had to be magically reinforced to take the weight of all the food, Draco thought – every centimeter not taken up by empty plates was covered with Mrs. Weasley's cooking. Roast chicken and beef, at least three different kinds of potatoes, an entire garden's worth of vegetables, a steaming boat of gravy…and it all smelled _wonderful._ Draco didn't know where to begin.

"Make sure you save room for dessert," Ron suggested as they all found seats. "I dunno what Mum's made tonight, but it'll be worth it!"

"Oh, hush, Ronald," Mrs. Weasley said, though she flushed pink at the praise and looked very pleased nevertheless. "Please, help yourselves!"

For several minutes, conversation came to a halt as the many platters made their way around the table and everyone selected their food. Draco had to stop himself from groaning aloud as he took his first bite – if the food smelled fantastic, it was nothing to how it all tasted. Mrs. Weasley was one hell of a cook…how in Merlin's name were none of them grossly overweight? From her place beside him, Hermione caught his eye and smiled, correctly guessing what he was thinking. Deciding to tease him just a little, Hermione deliberately took her time sliding the next forkful of mashed potato through her lips, eyes closed and a blissful smile on her face. She opened her eyes and winked, suppressing a giggle when Draco nearly fell off the bench.

"I'll get you back for that, witch," he muttered in her ear. Hermione just laughed again.

"Really, now?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

"What are you two lovebirds whispering about?" George demanded, his expression gleeful.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Hermione replied with a grin. "But I don't kiss and tell, George dear – so why don't you tell us more about the shop?" George pretended to pout for a moment, but then grinned broadly and launched into a detailed explanation of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' latest line.

"We've been getting inspiration from Muggle candies lately, you wouldn't believe the idea Ange had last week…"

Draco admired the one-eared man's spunk – he'd always secretly thought the Weasley twins were some of the best pranksters to ever hit Wizarding Britain, and he'd been shocked and dismayed to learn that one of the twins had been killed during the Battle of Hogwarts. The Weasleys were such a tight-knit group to begin with, and to lose not only your brother, but your twin, your other half…they probably wouldn't have believed him at the time, but Draco truly had been sorry for their loss. The fact that George had been able to carry on with the shop – albeit with a mourning hiatus – testified to his fierce inner strength and courage. There was no doubt that the deceased twin would have approved.

After dinner came the promised dessert, homemade ice cream and a beautiful cake decorated with flowers and "Congratulations, Hermione and Draco!" Mrs. Weasley foisted at least two slices on everyone, although to be honest, there was little coercing necessary. Ron's prediction was spot on, and Draco savored every bite.

Once everyone had had their fill, the group returned to the living room, the coffee table now buried beneath a small stack of gifts that most certainly hadn't been there before. They placed Hermione and Draco in the center and gathered around, oohing and aahing as the couple unwrapped their presents. Draco dutifully recorded who had given them what – Hermione was too busy accepting hugs – so that they could write thank-you notes in addition to the sincere verbal appreciation they gave each gift-giver.

In spite of Mrs. Weasley's insistence that everything was behind them, Draco felt he couldn't leave without saying something, and so he spoke up during a lull in the conversation.

"I just wanted to thank you all," he said, "for inviting me here tonight. You have a thousand reasons to wish me as far away from you as possible, and very little to counteract that – I've gotten to know Ginny fairly well through her friendship with Hermione, but I can't say the same for the rest of you. I won't lie and say that our history is a good one, because it's not." He paused and took a deep breath. "And yet, in spite of all that, every single one of you welcomed me tonight without question, gave me a second chance…and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."

"You don't have the greatest past," Mr. Weasley agreed. "You made choices that led down a very dark path indeed, Draco…but we would be remiss to hold you accountable for those choices in light of everything you've done since. Our Hermione would never have even taken you up on your offer to test her lessons if she believed you anything less than sincere – and here she is, marrying you in just a few short months. To me, that speaks volumes about who you are and how far you've come." Mr. Weasley offered his hand. "Take care of her, son, and I'll be a happy man." Draco accepted the handshake, swallowing heavily at the form of address, which warmed him in ways he didn't think he could describe.

"We should probably get going," Hermione said regretfully. "I have to head back to Hogwarts in the morning, and Draco's in the middle of a big project as well…" One by one, they all rose from their seats, exchanging hugs and well wishes as the couple prepared to leave. Draco even let Ginny hug him, although that was mostly because he didn't fancy a repeat of her Bat-Bogey Hex if he refused.

"Come again soon, dear," Mrs. Weasley told him. "You're welcome anytime."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," he said sincerely. "Thank you for everything."

* * *

 **A/N: I can't apologize enough for the long wait. I got extremely sick in March (infection confined me to bed for 2 weeks, followed by a flu not long after), & while I'm doing much better, it's taken me a while to get back to feeling like my normal self. My muse also just disappeared for a while, which didn't help. In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter, even if it isn't the longest or most exciting.**

 **A sincere thanks to all of you who've followed/favorited/reviewed this story since my last post - it means the world.**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Thank you all for your patience as I slowly get back into this - hopefully the next chapter will come much sooner. Enjoy! :)**


	17. The Field Trip

Hermione paced back and forth in her office, a long scroll of parchment clutched tightly in her hands. It was a checklist, and as she was wont to do, she was rereading it for quite possibly the thousandth time (which actually wasn't much of an exaggeration – she'd hardly let go of the thing lately). She didn't think she'd ever been more nervous this year, and that included the start of first term when Neville had accused her of attempting to wear holes in Hogwarts' thousand-year-old stone floors.

"Hermione, honestly, it's not like you're the one who's being graded," Gemma dryly remarked. Unlike her panicking counterpart, Gemma sat calmly at her desk, idly twirling a spare quill between her fingers.

"No, but I'm the one doing the grading!" Hermione replied, her anxiety evident in her tone. "Well, _we_ are, but you know what I mean…and this is _the_ group, Gemma! What if they fail? This whole project will have been for naught!"

 _"Honestly,"_ Gemma repeated, shaking her head. "Are you or are you not marrying one Draco Malfoy this summer? That man is one of the most pureblooded of purebloods but can walk amongst Muggles as if he's spent his whole life with them – that is _not_ 'for naught', Granger. And," she added before Hermione could protest, "you need to stop having so little faith in yourself. The seventh-years were difficult, yeah, but you've taught them well, they'll be fine, and we'll live to see a second year as teachers. Now, stop your damn pacing, you're making me dizzy." Hermione sighed and halted her movements.

"I just want today to go well," she said softly. Gemma smiled in understanding.

"I know – so do I," she said. "We've covered so much ground in just a year. Hogwarts – and the Wizarding World in general – need this program to keep going if we want to keep making progress. There's a lot riding on today, I know…but you've poured your heart and soul into this curriculum, and everyone knows that when Hermione Granger pours her heart and soul into something, that something usually comes out even better than expected."

"Now who's the one selling herself short?" Hermione asked. "I didn't teach this course alone, you know, and I couldn't have done it without you."

"Don't go getting all sappy on me," Gemma said, but she smiled anyway. "Now, let's get this party started, eh?"

In addition to the upcoming carnival, Hermione and Gemma had both thought that the seventh-years should have a day to practice their newfound skills in the real world, just as Draco had done that day in the village near his home. Learning about something in a classroom was one thing; using that knowledge in a real setting was quite another, and with the seventh-years about to leave school, the two young professors wanted concrete proof that their instruction had paid off. And so, with a little bit of persuasion and a lot of logistics, Hermione and Gemma had convinced Headmistress McGonagall to allow arrangements for a little field trip to a nearby Muggle village, where the seventh-year students would have some time to explore on their own. Hermione and Gemma would discreetly monitor the students throughout their time in the village, noting how they did with such things as monetary transactions, interaction with the locals, and use of any Muggle devices they encountered. Sometime in the afternoon, they would return to Hogsmeade for a few hours (monitoring here wasn't really necessary, as the students had been visiting Hogsmeade regularly for years, but Hermione and Gemma felt they should have time in both worlds regardless) before ultimately ending the day back at Hogwarts. It was a far cry from a formal N.E.W.T. exam, but Hermione was still stressed out about it. The seventh-years had been one of their most difficult classes this year due to their being old enough to have been at Hogwarts during the war, so this day was a big deal.

Hermione and Gemma met the seventh-years in the entrance hall right after breakfast. "Nearby" was a relative term when it came to their destination – Hogwarts was of course in an extremely isolated location, and the closest Muggle town was nearly forty-five minutes away, which necessitated some travel. Several of the thestral-drawn carriages would transport everyone to Hogsmeade Station, where a bus was waiting to take them the rest of the way. After a quick roll call and yet another check to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, Hermione led the way to the carriages, making sure each student had boarded before climbing into the last coach herself. At the station, Hermione took roll again as the students boarded the bus, which reminded her of a Muggle school bus with its bright yellow exterior and iconic body shape. Everyone settled into their seats, and the bus was soon on its way.

"We just want to give you a quick reminder of how today should work," Hermione said, she and Gemma having turned around from their places in front to address the class. "You'll have free reign of the village for the duration of our stay – we don't want you to feel like you're being watched or scrutinized, so we will do our best to stay out of your way. You are all of age, and we want you to have the most realistic experience possible. After all, you won't have professors breathing down your necks in the real world, so we don't want that to be the case today."

"That said," Gemma continued, picking up where Hermione had left off, "remember that while you've gone incognito, so to speak, you're still representing Hogwarts, and any unruly behavior will not be tolerated. I'd hate to have to dock house points or give detentions, but I won't hesitate to do so if anyone deliberately causes trouble. Understood?" The students nodded and murmured their agreement.

"Excellent. And don't forget, if you ever aren't sure of something, you can always come ask Professor Granger or myself – we'll both be wandering the village as well, but we'll try to stick to areas where we can easily be found. We both want each and every one of you to succeed today."

The rest of the bus ride was rather uneventful, and they soon arrived at their destination. The village didn't stand out in any way, but it offered plenty of opportunities for exploring, including a small but thriving shopping district, a meadow that seemed to be playing host to a farmer's market, a little church, a town hall, and even a museum.

"Remember, we all meet back in front of this fountain" – Hermione pointed to the decoration in question to be sure there was no mistaking her directions – "at two o'clock, when we'll head back to Hogsmeade for the rest of the day. Off you go!" Slowly but surely, the class broke off into small groups and left to explore the village, eventually leaving Hermione and Gemma alone.

"Shall we?" Gemma asked. Hermione nodded, and the two started across the square.

The village was charming and really quite lovely, but try as she might, Hermione was too nervous about her students to focus much. She wanted so badly for them to do well, so badly to prove that her class had beneficial practical applications, that she even stumbled over the rather basic charms that allowed her to supervise her students' interactions without needing to be too close. Eventually, Gemma huffed and forced a cup of tea, discreetly laced with Calming Draught, into Hermione's hands, and the latter was finally able to enjoy her surroundings a little more. Oh, she was still nervous, to be sure, but the Calming Draught had definitely helped, and she felt much more like her usual self as she proudly observed two of her students flawlessly speaking with a shop owner. She even indulged at the farmer's market, purchasing some wonderfully fresh produce and a delicious sandwich stuffed with local meats and cheeses.

Two o'clock arrived and found everyone back on the bus and Hermione in a much better state of mind. Aside from a couple of minor blips, the students had done wonderfully, and having that concrete proof made a huge difference. Yes, Draco had already proven the program's usefulness with his own progress, but he'd still only been a test case – seeing the program work so well for Hogwarts thrilled Hermione to no end. She wouldn't rest easy until her first year was officially in the books, but this excursion had been a major hurdle, and the students had cleared it with ease. Even if they chose to spend the rest of their lives fully immersed in the Wizarding world with minimal-to-no Muggle contact, Hermione was confident that they could at least navigate the basics of the Muggle world without too much trouble.

With no further need of observation, Hermione and Gemma were able to relax as much as their students when the bus arrived in Hogsmeade. The two young professors spent an enjoyable afternoon reminiscing about their own childhood experiences in the village while wandering around their favorite shops.

"He didn't!" Gemma exclaimed as Hermione recounted the time when Harry had thrown mud at Draco from under his invisibility cloak. Hermione hadn't been present at the time – that had been one of the many instances she and the boys had fought that year – but Harry had told her the story much later, most likely in their attempts to cheer each other up with childish antics while on the run during their would-be seventh year.

"He did!" Hermione giggled. "Harry even showed me the memory – Draco was spinning all over the place, trying to figure out where the mud came from!" She shook her head a little, still chuckling. "It's amazing how far we've come since then, isn't it?"

"It is," Gemma agreed. "Just a few short years ago, literally _anyone_ would've scoffed at the idea of any of you even getting along, never mind more than that."

"My class year did take that rivalry to the extreme, didn't we?" Hermione mused. "It probably didn't help that Harry and Draco, the house ringleaders, so to speak, were enemies practically from the start. I do sometimes wonder what might've happened if Harry and Draco had met without Ron there…"

"What do you mean?" Gemma asked.

"The Weasleys and the Malfoys had a lengthy history of animosity, and both Ron and Draco were well aware of that," Hermione explained. "They hated each other on sight – and since Ron sat with Harry on the train and the two had already become sort-of-friends when Draco arrived, Harry took an immediate dislike to Draco when he started being nasty to Ron. Of course, Harry told me that he and Draco actually met before that, in Madam Malkin's, and that Draco was a bit rude then as well, but perhaps things might've been different if they hadn't been so hostile from the start."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Gemma said. "After all, the Sorting probably would've remained the same, which would've left Harry and Draco on opposing sides of the rivalry anyway. No matter which way you look at it, the outcome is still rather remarkable."

After a stop at Honeydukes (even as adults, they couldn't resist the incredible sweet shop), the two decided on The Dragon and the Unicorn for dinner so their students could enjoy The Three Broomsticks teacher-free. Neither minded, of course, and they eagerly scanned the menus. Once they'd ordered food and drink, talk turned to Hermione's wedding.

"I'd imagine you've got most of the planning done at this point," Gemma said.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "My dress, Ginny's dress, the flowers, the decorations, and the tableware are all set. The only thing we have left to do is choose the menu, which Mrs. Weasley is cooking for us as a wedding present."

"That's sweet of her." Gemma took a sip of her drink, nodded in approval, and went back for more.

"It really is – at first I thought it'd be too much, but our wedding is going to be so small, and she insisted that she wanted to do it. Besides, she's the best cook I know, so I really shouldn't complain. Posey's doing the cake, though."

"I thought you were still having trouble deciding on some of the décor?" Gemma asked.

"I was," Hermione admitted, "until I got a letter from Daphne Pucey, née Greengrass – did you know her? She was in my year, in Slytherin."

"Hmmm…maybe," Gemma said. "I always made it a point to introduce myself to the new first-years and to get to know them a bit, since I was a prefect, you know, but I can't say I really _knew_ her, per se. The only girl I remember vividly from your year is Pansy Parkinson."

"It's a bit hard to forget Pansy – she certainly made her presence known! And Pansy and Daphne never got along, so I guess it makes sense that you don't necessarily remember her. Anyway, Daphne is one of Draco's closest friends now, and she owled me asking if I needed any help with the wedding planning. I was a bit surprised – I'm close friends with her younger sister Astoria, but I don't know Daphne all that well – but I said yes anyway, and she helped me plan the table settings. And I must say, the end choice is absolutely lovely – Daphne has excellent taste." She'd also received an equally lovely thank-you note from Daphne for including her – the former Slytherin stated she'd been very nervous to write Hermione but wanted to get to know her better, and the young women were both looking forward to tea in the near future.

"She helped 'you' plan them?" Gemma clarified. "Not 'you and Draco'?" Hermione chuckled.

"Draco has said, and I quote, as long as our wedding 'doesn't look like the Gryffindor common room', he doesn't really care about the décor. He's going to help with the food choices, of course, but we decided that long-distance coordination of everything else would be too difficult. So we talked about our preferences for different things, and we each took care of specific things as our schedules permitted."

"Sounds like you have it all worked out, as usual," Gemma said with a chuckle. "And thank you for inviting me, by the way – you didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did!" Hermione insisted. "You've done so much for me this year, working to get this course off the ground, and I'd like to think we've become friends as well." Gemma smiled at that.

"We'd best get going," she said then with a glance at her watch. "The last round of carriages is leaving soon." The two women paid their tab and left the restaurant before making their way back to the carriage meeting point. They chatted idly as the carriage swayed along the path back to Hogwarts, and they were about to go their separate ways in the entrance hall when a voice interrupted.

"Erm…professors?" Hermione and Gemma turned to see Harrison Smith, one of the seventh-years, standing outside the passage that led down to the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room.

"Yes, Mr. Smith? Did you need something?" Hermione asked. Harrison had been one of her more difficult students this year, sticking firmly to his pureblooded ideals and repeatedly questioning how any aspect of Muggle culture could possibly be useful. She very much hoped he wasn't going to say something degrading about today's trip.

"I, um…well, I wanted to thank you, actually, as well as apologize," Harrison said. He looked nervous, much less like a wizard with a superiority complex and much more like a teenager who wasn't quite sure of himself. "I know I've been…well, difficult this year, what with refusing to see both sides and all, but today's trip really showed me how wrong I was. When we were in that village…the inhabitants…well, they're people. I guess it took seeing things in action to really make me realize it, but Muggles are just like us, aren't they? And even though they don't have magic, they've come up with some truly amazing ways to compensate for that, ways that leave us wizards baffled…I…I guess I don't really know how to say it…"

"It's alright, Harrison," Hermione smiled kindly. "I think I know exactly what you're trying to say. You've learned something, haven't you?" Harrison nodded.

"I have. I've learned a lot."

"Then that's all I can ask for," Hermione said. She glanced at her watch as the castle bells began to chime. "Off to bed with you, now – wouldn't want to be caught out past curfew, and I'm sure you've got plenty of work to do for your N.E.W.T.s." Harrison smiled sheepishly.

"Yes ma'am. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Harrison."

Once Harrison had disappeared down the stairs, Hermione turned to Gemma and smiled. All their hard work had definitely been worth it.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, friends! Thank you all once again for your patience - if any of you also work in schools, you'll know that the end of the year is a bit of a zoo. A huge thank you as well for all your kind words re: my last chapter - that illness really left me in a slump, & it was so uplifting to hear from you all. Thank you so much.**

 **Just a few chapters left, I think - we need to cover the carnival & the wedding, & that's about it. If there's anything in particular that you'd like to see for either of those events (or something else entirely!) just let me know!**

 **JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R &R, & enjoy! :)**


	18. Two Worlds as One

"Close your eyes please, Miss Hermione." Hermione obeyed and soon felt a soft brush against her eyelids.

"You is liking this color, Miss Ginny?" Hermione heard Posey ask next.

"It's perfect, Posey," Ginny agreed. "She looks wonderful."

Hermione smiled to herself, careful to keep the gesture small lest her makeup artists scold her for sabotaging their delicate work. After months of waiting, the big day – her wedding day – had finally arrived, and Ginny and Posey were in the midst of transforming her for her upcoming walk down the aisle.

A part of Hermione couldn't believe she'd actually made it this far. After the seventh years' field trip, the rest of term had been so busy that it now seemed a blur. The carnival was a smashing success, featuring everything from traditional fair games and food to intramural Quidditch and football tournaments – a vast majority of the students had cited the carnival as a highlight on the exit survey Hermione and Gemma had created for the course, although they were both pleased and thrilled to see that they'd been rated favorably nearly across the board. After the carnival came exams, and Gemma hadn't been able to contain her snickers when she realized Hermione-the-teacher was just as high-strung about them as Hermione-the-student. Before they knew it, the end-of-term feast had disappeared from the tables, the Hogwarts Express had departed for London, and their first year as teachers was over.

"Tilt just this way, Miss Hermione," Posey instructed, bringing Hermione's thoughts back to the present as she felt a gentle pressure guiding her chin. As Posey wouldn't be able to attend the wedding ceremony in the traditional sense – she'd have to remain out of the way and invisible, due to the Muggle guests – Hermione had included her in the preparations instead, asking the little elf if she would kindly see to Hermione's hair and makeup. Posey had burst into tears at the request, crying steadily for several minutes before calming herself enough to declare that nothing would make her happier.

"Just one last bit there…perfect!" Ginny declared. "Alright, Hermione, you can open your eyes now."

Hermione almost didn't recognize the young woman in the mirror – Posey and Ginny had really outdone themselves. The lightest dusting of makeup made her brown eyes pop and her cheeks shine, and her hair was twisted into what Ginny called a 'deliberately messy' loose bun, soft and delicate and not actually messy-looking at all. A white lily, cousin of the stargazers in Hermione's bouquet, was tucked neatly into the bun, pleasing Hermione's senses with its sweet perfume. A sparkling pendant, a gift from her parents, completed the look.

"Oh," Hermione whispered. "Oh, it's _perfect."_

"You do look absolutely perfect," Ginny agreed. "Draco won't believe his eyes."

"Miss Hermione is a beautiful bride," Posey sighed happily. Artemis, who'd been watching the proceedings from a basket in the corner, purred in contentment, as if she too appreciated Hermione's transformation.

"Shall I get your parents?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded absentmindedly, still gazing in awe at her reflection.

The soft clicking of Ginny's shoes as she descended the staircase snapped Hermione out of her daze, and she slowly stood to get her first look at the full ensemble. After much deliberation, she'd chosen a very simple dress – sleeveless with a modest V-neck, it clung ever so gently to her curves as it cascaded to the floor, ending with just the barest hint of a train. A lightly beaded sash, tied in a pretty bow at the back, was the dress' only embellishment. Simple, yes, but classy at the same time – Hermione absolutely loved it.

"Oh, _Hermione."_ Hermione turned to see that Ginny had returned, accompanied by the elder Grangers. It was Hermione's mother who had spoken, a slight catch to her voice as she gazed upon her only daughter.

"Mum." Hermione strode forward and enveloped her parents in a hug.

"You look like a dream, sweetheart," her father said as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"Oh, Dad." Hermione sniffed lightly, hoping she wouldn't cry before the ceremony had even begun.

"Ready to greet the world?" Ginny asked, gesturing to the stairs. She wore a knee-length dress in a light spring green, her hair in a half up, half down style, and carried a small bouquet of lilies matching the one in Hermione's hair. "The boys are waiting for you." Hermione smiled.

"Lead the way, then." She hugged Posey tightly, smoothed her dress one last time, and followed her parents and best girlfriend down the stairs.

Outside, Hermione knew, guests would be taking their seats in the area of the garden reserved for the ceremony, but inside, Star Cottage was quiet save for a light murmur of voices coming from the front room. Theo, Harry, Ron, and Draco all stood at the sound of the approaching quartet, and even the normally stoic Malfoy couldn't help the awed expression that came over his face as he saw his bride-to-be.

"Hermione… _wow,_ " Harry exclaimed as he stepped forward to hug her. "You look stunning!"

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione replied, a pretty blush coloring her cheeks. She locked eyes with Draco and smiled softly, stepping out of Harry's embrace and extending her hand. Draco took it, his own hand shaking slightly, and drew her close.

"There aren't words," he said quietly. "You look beautiful." The couple stood still for a moment, their fingers intertwined and their foreheads pressed together, not saying anything but merely enjoying one another's presence.

"You ready for this?" Hermione asked after a pause.

"Absolutely," Draco replied. Stepping back, he brushed his lips against Hermione's in the barest hint of a kiss, a promise of more lingering behind as he and the others left to take their places. Ginny smiled dreamily as she adjusted Hermione's skirts one last time.

"Normally I'd call you two disgustingly sweet, but it's your wedding day, so I'll let it slide," she said. Hermione giggled.

"You know how Draco feels about that word," she reminded Ginny. The redhead merely shrugged.

"It _was_ sweet – he'll get over it eventually. Now, let's get you two married!"

They couldn't have asked for better weather, Hermione mused as she followed Ginny down Star Cottage's front steps. Sunlight shone brightly on every surface, perking up the many flowers in the garden, and the heat wave they'd been having recently had decided to back off just in time. A slight shimmer caught Hermione's eye off to one side and she smiled, certain that it was Posey come to watch the ceremony. Ginny disappeared around the corner as her cue came, and Hermione stepped forward, listening intently. At last, the music swelled, signaling her entrance. Looping her arm through her father's, Hermione began her walk down the aisle.

Star Cottage's garden was lovely on a normal day, but now, it was simply spectacular. Rows of wooden chairs with plush white cushions sat neatly on either side of the aisle, gauzy silver and gold bows decorating their backs. A tent filled with similar chairs set around matching tables, all prepped for the reception, waited in another part of the garden. Ginny had giggled for ages when she'd pointed out that Hermione had unknowingly incorporated all of Gryffindor and Slytherin's house colors into the wedding scheme – silver and gold décor, Ginny's green dress, and the pink flowers, which were close enough to red – but the effect was actually quite nice.

The guests rose as one at Hermione's entrance, many of them emitting soft but audible exclamations over her dress. Harry and Ron grinned broadly, and Mrs. Weasley dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Hermione's eyes, however, were focused up front, where Draco stood waiting for her. Even though he'd just seen her moments before, he still wore that same wondrous look upon his face, and his grin never once subsided as she made her way towards him. Hermione's father dropped one last kiss on her cheek before placing her hand in Draco's and stepping back to take his place in the front row. Hermione and Draco turned to face one another as their guests reclaimed their seats.

"Welcome to all," Minerva McGonagall addressed the assembly. She had played such a central role in making Hermione's dream come true, that same dream that had brought Draco and Hermione together, that the couple had only felt it right to ask her to officiate.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the wedding of Draco Lucius Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger. Not so long ago, perhaps, the mere thought of such a statement would never have been possible, but these two have come farther than anyone could ever have anticipated, and I for one am quite proud to be standing here before you today.

"The couple have decided to write their own vows, which they will share with you now. Miss Granger, if you please?" Hermione smiled.

"Draco…Professor McGonagall is right in saying that this" – she gestured between the two of them – "wouldn't have even been a possibility not so long ago. To say we didn't get along in school would be an understatement – we were always at each other's throats in one way or another. But circumstances change, and I got a rare second chance. Skeptical though I might've been at first, I gave that second chance the attention it deserved…and came out with so much more than I'd been expecting. We certainly didn't walk the easy road to get here, but I wouldn't have it any other way." Mrs. Weasley wasn't the only one clutching a handkerchief by the time Hermione had finished speaking.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to follow that, but I'll try," Draco replied, several people chuckling at his response. "Granger – and yes, part of you will always be 'Granger' to me – I hardly know where to begin. In school, while I had more issue with your friends, you were still a constant thorn in my side. No matter how hard I tried, you always took the top spot, and I was always furious with myself because I knew you _deserved_ it – as much as my younger self hated to admit it, you are _brilliant_. But as you said, circumstances change – fast forward a few years to the first time I knocked on your office door. To this day, I still hardly know why I did it, but I'm glad I did. I finally got a chance to get to know the person behind the brilliance, and while you're still intimidating as anything and probably always will be, I also know how kind, passionate, and fiercely loyal you are. I still don't know what I did to deserve you, but I thank my lucky stars daily for whatever it might've been." Hermione choked on a little sob and discreetly brushed away the dampness gathering on her lashes.

"And now, the rings." Theo stepped forward, retrieving the rings from his pocket and dropping them into Professor McGonagall's outstretched hand.

"Mr. Malfoy, do you take Miss Granger to be your wife? Do you promise to honor and cherish her, to love her in good times and bad, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Draco said confidently.

"And Miss Granger, do you take Mr. Malfoy to be your husband? Do you promise to honor and cherish him, to love him in good times and bad, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Hermione's eyes were still a little wet, but her smile was no less radiant.

"Let these rings be a symbol of your promises to one another." Professor McGonagall offered the couple the rings, and in turn, they slipped the bands on each other's fingers. The headmistress smiled.

"I wish you many long and happy years together," she said. "Mr. Malfoy, you may kiss your bride." Not needing to be told twice, Draco swept Hermione into his arms and dipped her into a kiss, much to the delight of the cheering onlookers. When they broke apart, neither could contain their giddy grins, and they hurried back up the aisle hand in hand.

Now that the ceremony was done, it was time for the magical portion of the event. While the guests mingled and chatted, Draco, Hermione, Theo, Ginny, and Professor McGonagall returned to Star Cottage. The legal marriage documents, both Muggle and Wizarding, sat waiting on the kitchen table.

"Gather around, please," Professor McGonagall instructed. The four young people did as requested, Draco and Hermione in the middle, with Theo and Ginny on either side.

"The vows we speak here will be much like the vows in your ceremony," Professor McGonagall explained. "Draco, Hermione, please grasp hands." The couple did so, and Professor McGonagall placed her wand on top of their intertwined fingers.

"We are here today to witness the magical marriage of Draco Lucius Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger," she said. "A marriage bond is a beautiful thing, linking a couple in ways that few could ever fully understand. It is a symbol of your love and devotion, and if fate is on your side, will only strengthen with time. It is a sacred vow and not something to be taken lightly – are you both ready and willing to proceed?"

"I am," Hermione stated.

"I am," Draco agreed. Professor McGonagall smiled.

"Then let the vow be spoken. Draco, do you take Hermione as your magically wedded wife, to treasure in times of joy and times of sorrow, to love for better or for worse, to accompany through all of life's adventures and uncertainties, from now through the rest of your days?"

"I do." A stream of pearly light shot forth from the professor's wand to twine around the couple's hands.

"Hermione, do you take Draco as your magically wedded husband, to treasure in times of joy and times of sorrow, to love for better or for worse, to accompany through all of life's adventures and uncertainties, from now through the rest of your days?"

"I do." A second thread, this one a deep blue, joined the first.

"Then I declared you magically bonded for life." The two ribbons of light twisted around one another until they merged into a single beam of pure white light, which slowly settled into the couple's hands before disappearing.

"Beautiful," Ginny murmured.

"Indeed it was," Professor McGonagall agreed. "Now, I do believe a certain Mr. Ronald Weasley will be particularly anxious to dig into the wedding feast, if the looks I saw him giving the cake were any indication, so let's sign the documents and be done." Hermione chuckled.

"Ron and food…some things never change," she said, shaking her head fondly. She and Draco each picked up the beautiful quills set aside for the signing and reached for the documents, scrawling their signatures in the appropriate places before handing the quills to Ginny and Theo. While their friends and witnesses signed, Draco drew Hermione close.

"Ready to celebrate, Mrs.…" Draco paused. "What did you decide about your name, anyway?" Hermione giggled.

"Granger-Malfoy," she said. "Why settle for one world when I can have the best of both?"

"Two sides of the same coin," Draco agreed. "It's perfect."

And indeed it was.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's a wrap! I cannot apologize enough for the quite frankly ridiculous delay in finishing this story - real life got in the way big time (still is, tbh) & I had some serious writer's block on top of that. I finally decided I just needed to sit down & finish the thing to get it off my mind, so here it is. I hope you all enjoyed the long-awaited Dramione wedding!**

 **Thank you for sticking with me throughout this little duology - I hope you enjoyed. Not sure when I'll be back with a new story, but I'm sure inspiration will strike at some point. In the meantime, thank you all again for being such wonderful readers! I couldn't ask for better. :)**

 **~Sammy**


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